LeukoMed announces granting of European Patent.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, North Carolina, September 24 / PRWeb/ -- LeukoMed, Inc. announced today that on September 18, 2002 the European Patent Office granted Patent No. 0767793 entitled "N-SUBSTITUTED- (DIHYDROXYBORYL) ALKYL PURINE, INDOLE AND PYRIMIDINE DERIVATIVES, USEFUL AS INHIBITIORS OF INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES" to The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC. LeukoMed is the exclusive licensee of worldwide rights to the technology disclosed in this patent.

LeukoMed is currently developing two lead drug candidates, LMP-160 and LMP 420, which are based on technology disclosed in this patent. Both of these compounds are potent transcriptional inhibitors of the biosynthesis of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a) and, as such, are expected to be useful for the treatment of a number of diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, Crohn's disease, psoriasis, and asthma. In addition, LMP-420, LeukoMed's most potent lead compound, has been demonstrated to inhibit the TNF-a dependent replication of both HIV-1 and Mycobacterium tuberculosis in cultured human cells and thus may be useful as an adjunct to existing therapies for AIDS and TB. TNF-a has been suggested to play a role in the development of insulin resistance in diabetes associated with obesity and thus LeukoMed's lead compounds may have a role in this disease indication as well.

LeukoMed's LMP-160 and LMP-420 block TNF-a biosynthesis through inhibition of a unique cellular target. Efforts are underway to develop high-throughput screening systems utilizing this target which will allow identification of additional analogs with select physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties. LeukoMed's development program for these candidates is being conducted in collaboration with a number of academic investigators. These unique compounds were identified using a novel, cell-based screening process based on human immune cells. These compounds are among the most potent and selective inhibitors of TNF-a that have been reported to date. Both LMP-160 and LMP-420 are expected to be available in oral, inhaled and topical formulations. LMP-420 is expected to enter clinical trials within the next eighteen months. LeukoMed is currently in discussion with several pharmaceutical companies regarding the development and marketing rights for LMP-160 and LMP-420 in the US and Europe.
   
LeukoMed, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of novel medicines useful for the treatment of inflammatory disorders in order to provide more effective and less costly treatments. Additional information about LeukoMed is available at http://www.leukomed.com .




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