Business Wire - Monday, November 30, 1998
Based on research conducted to date, Vasogen's patient-specific cell therapy appears to modify certain immune processes down-regulating destructive inflammatory responses. This therapeutic approach has the potential to provide a new disease-modifying option that may be used alone or in combination with other therapies.
"The fact that patient-specific cell therapy appears to be affecting the immune process itself, combined with the therapy's excellent safety profile, suggests that it could provide significant clinical benefit to many patients with serious autoimmune diseases," said Dr. Eldon Smith, Vasogen's Vice President, Scientific Affairs.
The term autoimmune disease refers to a large group of chronic illnesses that can affect most organ systems of the body. Autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and multiple sclerosis, affect more than 80 million people throughout the world. There is now also increasing evidence that atherosclerosis, the leading cause of death in the developed world, has an autoimmune component.
In autoimmune disease, the immune system, which normally protects us from harmful substances or foreign organisms such as bacteria, starts attacking our body tissue. The cause of this change in the target of the immune response is not fully understood and, to date, there are no effective therapies.
"The U.S. Patent Office's decision to allow the comprehensive claims in this patent represents a major achievement for the company," said David Elsley, Vasogen's President and Chief Executive Officer. "This notice of allowance recognizes our pioneering position in cell therapy and its application to the treatment of serious medical conditions for which there are no satisfactory treatments available."
Vasogen is focused on advancing the treatment of cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases through the development and commercialization of patient-specific cell therapies (PSCTs). PSCTs use a patient's own cells to modify the immune processes involved in these diseases. PSCTs are designed to target fundamental disease-causing events, providing safe, effective treatment.
Statements contained in this press release, including those pertaining to scientific and clinical research, commercialization plans, strategic alliances, and intellectual property protection, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements subject to a number of uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from statements made.
CONTACT: Vasogen Inc. Trevor Burns, 905/569-9065 investor@vasogen.com http://www.vasogen.com
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