Under the exceptional
category heading of the DTI's SMART award scheme, a grant of
£400,000 has been made to Oxford BioMedica to undertake the
Company's first clinical trial programme. The money is to be
used to help fund a Phase I/II clinical trial of the Company's
new gene therapy approach for the treatment of breast cancer.
Applications for exceptional status SMART awards are thoroughly
appraised by DTI who receive advice from experts in both the
science and the market potential of the technology. Oxford
BioMedica is one of a handful of companies to succeed in winning
this award.
It is anticipated that recruitment for the clinical trial
will take place around the end of the year with the first
patient administration due to take place early in 1999.
Commenting on this success, Professor Sue Kingsman, Research
Director of Oxford BioMedica and co-ordinator of the programme
said: "We have developed a multi-component gene-based therapeutic
which will be used in this initial phase of clinical trials
in breast cancer patients. These patients are severely ill
and have either relapsed or not responded to the best available
treatments.
"The specific aim of the trial is to gain
safety data and define the best combination of components
to take into more extensive trials after the completion of
this preliminary Phase I/II series. We would be delighted
to have an early indication of the efficacy of this approach,
but this is not one of the primary clinical parameters we
will be studying at this stage. We will however be looking
for signs of tumour death and disease regression.
"I have been particularly pleased that the
team of experts who reviewed our pre-clinical data and the
structure of our trial strategy came to the conclusion that
this programme should be supported. This represents a significant
endorsement of our technology and approach to developing gene
therapy based treatments for serious diseases.
"The role of the Government is crucial in
supporting ground-breaking biotechnology programmes such as
ours, particularly when there is great difficulty for many
companies in raising money in the City. This responsible approach
to funding will ensure that the biotechnology industry in
the UK remains vibrant and innovative."
In addition to various grants and awards,
Oxford BioMedica has raised over £12 million from investors
which is being used to pursue gene therapy approaches to the
treatment of cancer, infectious disease and neurological disorders.
Notes to Editors
1. Oxford BioMedica, established in 1995,
specialises in the development and application of gene-based
therapeutics using advanced gene delivery technologies for
the treatment of disease in the areas of: oncology, viral
infection, neurobiology and genetic deficiency. Oxford BioMedica
plc was floated on the UK Alternative Investment Market of
the London Stock Exchange in December 1996.
2. The Company intends to develop its therapeutic
products and take them through their initial phases of clinical
testing. The candidate products are expected to be licensed
to suitable business partners who will then complete the later
phases of clinical trials, and ultimately manufacture and
market the products.
3. The Company also intends to exploit commercial
opportunities arising from its platform technologies with
appropriate business partners.
