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October 4, 2001
Neurochem and SELECT Therapeutics Collaborate on Alzheimer's Vaccine
New Amyloid-Based Vaccine Approach to Prevent Dementia
Neurochem Inc. (TSX : NRM) and SELECT Therapeutics, Inc. (AMEX: XZL) today announced the
initiation of a collaboration program to advance a novel vaccine intended to prevent the
development and the progression of Alzheimer's Disease. The vaccine will target the
prevention of an accumulation of beta-amyloid, a protein that constitutes a major part of
plaques in the brain of Alzheimer's patients. The successful outcome of this joint effort
should enable an early therapeutic intervention for patients with this widespread and
debilitating disease. About Beta-Amyloid Vaccines as Emerging Anti-Alzheimer's Therapeutics
The targets described in the agreement between Neurochem and SELECT Therapeutics are based
on the structure of a protein known as beta-amyloid. This protein is attracting increasing
interest for its emerging role as a component of the plaques which form in the brains of
patients with Alzheimer's disease and a chief culprit in the death of surrounding neuronal
cells. Several recent reports in leading scientific journals have suggested that antibodies
to beta amyloid in transgenic animals expressing the protein can prevent or reduce the
formation of plaques in the brain and the deterioration of their cognitive function. The
development of effective vaccines which reduce beta-amyloid levels in the brain may offer a
unique opportunity to target a basic cause of the associated dementia. About Neurochem
Neurochem is a leader in the development of novel, proprietary compounds that inhibit the
formation, deposition and toxic effects of amyloid fibrils within the body. Neurochem's
innovative core technology consists of the design and synthesis of compounds that mimic the
properties of sulphated glycosaminoglycans' or GAGs, complex carbohydrates that promote the
amyloid fibril formation that is characteristic of Alzheimer's Disease. Neurochem's synthetic
compounds compete with the naturally occurring GAGs to interfere with the formation and
deposition of amyloid aggregates. About SELECT Therapeutics, Inc.
SELECT Therapeutics, Inc. (AMEX: XZL) and its joint venture with Cytomatrix, LLC, Cell Science
Therapeutics, Inc. (CST), are pioneering the clinical development of novel, cell-based
therapeutic products employing propriety tissue engineering, cell growth, and cell targeting
technologies. In particular, the Company, in collaboration with the "Institut Curie"
in Paris, is developing a novel vaccine technology, known as Verovax™, which is based on
the use of a proprietary targeting agent, VT-B to deliver specific peptides to dendritic cells.
The peptide antigen is then directed via retrograde transport into the antigen-processing
pathway of these cells, where it is metabolized and presented on the cell surface in a way
which activates the immune system. The Company expects that, compared to current vaccine
technologies, significantly more robust immune responses will be developed using vaccines
employing Verovax™. SELECT Therapeutics has licensed the underlying technology of
Verovax™ exclusively from the "Institut Curie". For further information on
SELECT Therapeutics, Inc., please visit our recently updated website at:
www.selecttherapeutics.com.
The Company can also be reached at its headquarters in Woburn, MA. USA at (781) 939-0995.
All of the statements contained in this news release, other than statements of fact which
are independently verifiable at the date hereof, are forward-looking statements. Such
statements, based as they are on the current expectations of management, inherently involve
numerous risks and uncertainties, known and unknown. Some examples of known risks are: the
impact of general economic conditions, general conditions in the pharmaceutical industry, changes
in the regulatory environment in the jurisdictions in which Neurochem does business, stock
market volatility, fluctuations in costs, and changes to the competitive environment due to
consolidation or otherwise. Consequently, actual future results may differ materially from
the anticipated results expressed in the forward-looking statements.
For further Information, please contact: |
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