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GAITHERSBURG, Md., Feb. 22, 2001 — IGEN International Inc.
(Nasdaq: IGEN) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have signed a letter of
intent under which the company and the NCI have commenced work on a joint
program to develop techniques and products for cancer research based on IGEN's
proprietary ORIGEN(R) biological detection technology. As the next step, the
letter of intent contemplates that IGEN and NCI would finalize a Cooperative
Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) that would expand the joint
research program and provide IGEN with the right to license patents developed
during the collaboration.
Researchers from the NCI and IGEN have started exchanging information and
materials for this research. The research plan calls for development of
ORIGEN-based assays and reagents that can be used to detect ubiquitin, a
molecule that plays a key role in the signaling and control processes of cells
by targeting proteins for degradation. Abnormalities in the amount of
ubiquitin attached to certain proteins may play a critical role in various
processes such as cancer, inflammation, tissue regeneration, muscle wasting,
and apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Compounds that inhibit or modulate
ubiquitin attachment to proteins could prove useful in research and may lead
to new approaches to cancer diagnosis and treatment. Another aim of the
research plan is to use an ORIGEN-based assay to screen for such compounds.
"This important research is intended to address the tremendous opportunities
emerging from the revolution in molecular biology, which promises to
accelerate discovery of new treatments for certain intractable cancers and
other diseases."
"Ubiquitin plays a very important role in the field of proteomics, which
has become the next major scientific endeavor in biology following genomics,"
said Richard J. Massey, Ph.D., IGEN's President and Chief Operating Officer.
"Ubiquitin, and the biological processes leading to the attachment of
ubiquitin to proteins, are essential in regulating protein levels via
degradation and are important in regulating many biological processes, such as
the division, growth, and death of cells. Developing research tools with NCI
based on ubiquitin could very possibly answer many questions relating to
factors causing various diseases."
IGEN intends to market assays and reagents developed under the anticipated
CRADA to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and government and
academic life science researchers. The company believes that novel assays and
reagents will increase the potential demand for its instruments, reagents, and
services.
Said Samuel J. Wohlstadter, IGEN's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer:
"We expect the planned collaboration to leverage both IGEN's investment in
ORIGEN technology and the federal government's investment in cancer research.
This important research is intended to address the tremendous opportunities
emerging from the revolution in molecular biology, which promises to
accelerate discovery of new treatments for certain intractable cancers and
other diseases. We believe demand for assays and reagents of the type to be
developed through this collaboration will grow significantly as a result of an
expected increase in genomics and proteomics research for developing
innovative new drugs."
ORIGEN technology has been used in a wide variety of biomedical research
and pharmaceutical development processes, including genomics, to elucidate
gene function; proteomics, to discover proteins involved in disease processes;
screening, to search for chemical compounds that have pharmacological effects
on those proteins; toxicology, to determine which drug candidates are most
promising; clinical trials, to measure the level of drugs in patients'
bloodstreams; and quality control, to detect impurities in drugs during the
manufacturing process.
IGEN develops and markets biological detection systems based on its
proprietary ORIGEN technology, which provides a unique combination of
sensitivity, reliability, speed, and flexibility. ORIGEN-based systems are
used in a wide variety of applications, including clinical diagnostics,
pharmaceutical research and development, life science research, and industrial
testing for food safety and quality control. These systems are marketed by
IGEN and its licensees and/or distributors -- Roche Diagnostics; Organon
Teknika; Eisai Co., Ltd.; Sumitomo Corp.; and Sanko Junyaku Co., Ltd. More
information about the company can be found at http://www.igen.com .
The National Cancer Institute, a unit of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, leads the nation's fight against cancer by supporting and
conducting groundbreaking research in cancer biology, causation, prevention,
detection, treatment, and survivorship.
Source: IGEN
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