Geron and RPI Form Collaboration in Telomerase Inhibition

07-Dec-2001

BOULDER, Colo., Dec. 6 - Ribozyme Pharmaceuticals Inc. (RPI) and Geron Corporation today announced a collaboration that will utilize the expertise of each company to accelerate process development for Geron's lead telomerase inhibitor, GRN163.

Research has shown that telomeres serve as a molecular "clock" for cellular aging, and the activation of telomerase by cancer cells is a means by which cancer cells become immortal. Inhibiting telomerase represents a novel mechanism for the treatment of cancer with potentially broader utility and greater selectivity against cancer cells than currently available cancer agents.

RPI will utilize its expertise in nucleic acid technology to provide process development for Geron's GRN163. RPI will assist Geron in the scale-up and optimization of the manufacturing process. GRN163 is a short, modified oligonucleotide designed as a telomerase template antagonist. Kyowa Hakko Kogyo, Co., Ltd. is a collaborating partner for this compound and has marketing rights for certain Asian countries; Geron has retained marketing rights for the compound outside of Asia.

In addition, the two companies will collaborate to explore the potential for a ribozyme-based telomerase inhibitor, which Geron will have the first right to commercialize. In a Cancer Research publication earlier this year (April 1, 2001) entitled "Ribozyme Cleavage of Telomerase mRNA Sensitizes Breast Epithelial Cells to Inhibitors of Topoisomerase" scientists Antje Ludwig and Calvin Harley, Geron's Chief Scientific Officer, et al. describe the validation of apoptosis activity and shortened telomeres utilizing a hammerhead ribozyme. "The data validate a ribozyme approach for telomerase inhibition therapy in cancer and suggest that it might be combined advantageously with topisomerase-directed chemotherapy," writes Ludwig.

"We are pleased to have formed a collaboration with Geron utilizing our team of expert nucleic acid chemists to research a telomerase inhibiting ribozyme and to develop process technology for manufacturing Geron's telomerase inhibitors," said Nassim Usman, Vice President of Research & Development at RPI. "We believe Geron's work in this area to be of great importance to cancer patients and look forward to working with them to develop this novel technology."

"We anticipate that the alliance with RPI will be a significant step for Geron in the development of manufacturing process technology related to GRN163," said Richard L. Tolman, Geron's vice president of drug discovery. "We also look forward to exploring with RPI the potential for developing a ribozyme-based approach to telomerase inhibition."

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