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Syntrix Biosystems licenses exclusive worldwide rights to NMDA
inhibitors for the treatment of antifolate neurotoxicity from the
University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey (UMDNJ)
Auburn, WA, August 10,
2004. Syntrix Biosystems, Inc. announced today that it
has obtained an exclusive license from UMDNJ for all human therapeutic
rights related to the use of NMDA inhibitors in treating antifolate
neurotoxicity. Antifolate neurotoxicity is a common side effect of
antifolate treatment that can occur at any antifolate dose. This
technology complements the Company's lead antifolate, aminotrexate™,
currently in clinical trials for pediatric leukemia. The newly licensed
intellectual property was developed by Dr. Barton Kamen at UMDNJ.
Dr. Kamen reports the clinical experience with NMDA inhibitors in
treating antifolate neurotoxicity in the journal of Pediatr. Hematol.
Oncol. (vol. 19:319-327, 2002).
"We at Syntrix Biosystems are committed to
developing innovative small molecule-based therapeutic products to treat
cancer and the side-effects of treating cancer," said John A. Zebala,
M.D., Ph.D. President and CEO of Syntrix Biosystems. "Dr. Kamen's
invention represents a valuable addition to our intellectual property
portfolio, and enhances our drug candidate pipeline by providing a
powerful approach to treating antifolate neurotoxicity with the
currently available and FDA-approved NMDA antagonist dextromethorphan.
We believe that not only will this technology be useful as a complement
to our current antifolate in Phase 2 clinical trials, aminotrexate™, but
will likely be of much larger use in the treatment of neurotoxicity due
to the widely employed antifolate, methotrexate."
Syntrix Biosystems is a
privately held biotechnology company founded in 1999 with research
and development facilities located in Auburn, WA. The company
is developing products that meet the needs of the pharmaceutical,
biotechnology, and academic research markets. The Syntrix
Biosystems website is located at
www.syntrixbio.com.
For more information contact:
John A. Zebala, M.D.,
Ph.D.
President and CEO
jzebala@syntrixbio.com
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