ChemGenex Team Pinpoints Inflammation Gene
MELBOURNE, Australia, and MENLO PARK, California U.S.A (October 10, 2005)
ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: CXS; NASDAQ: CXSP) announced today that a team of its international collaborators has pinpointed a gene on chromosome 15 that plays a significant role in the regulation of inflammation, a finding with implications for a wide range of disorders, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer's, and infections.
The findings are published in the October 9 online issue of the leading international journal Nature Genetics.
The multi-disciplinary team assembled by ChemGenex included scientists from Deakin University (Geelong, Australia), the International Diabetes Institute (Melbourne, Australia), the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (SFBR) (San Antonio, USA) and the Medical College of Wisconsin (Milwaukee, USA).
Deakin University, the International Diabetes Institute, the SFBR and the Medical College of Wisconsin have also issued press releases relating to this discovery which investigators believe will be of great interest to biomedical and pharmaceutical researchers because of an already heightened understanding of the role of inflammation in many human disorders.
Greg Collier, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of ChemGenex, said the discovery of SEPS1 and its function was a significant development and showed the breadth of expertise in the company, which also has two oncology drugs in phase 2 clinical trials. "This is outstanding recognition for our research collaborators and for ChemGenex. We have a strong portfolio of intellectual property related to SEPS1, and believe that this discovery may pave the way for future personalized medicine therapies to treat major diseases such as inflammation, diabetes and cancer. We are planning to screen for small molecules that alter SEPS1 activity with aim of partnering this program in the future."
About ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Limited
ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals is a pharmaceutical development company dedicated to improving the lives of patients by developing therapeutics in the areas of oncology, diabetes, obesity, and depression. ChemGenex harnesses the power of genomics for target discovery and validation, and in clinical trials to develop more individualized therapeutic outcomes. ChemGenex's lead compound, Ceflatonin®, is currently in phase 2/3 clinical trials for chronic myeloid leukemia and Quinamed® is in phase 2 clinical development for prostate, breast and ovarian cancers. The company has a significant portfolio of anti-cancer, diabetes, obesity and depression programs, several of which have been partnered with international pharmaceutical companies. ChemGenex currently trades on the Australian Stock Exchange under the symbol "CXS" and on NASDAQ under the symbol "CXSP".
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