Studies Reported at 28th Meeting of Society for Neuroscience
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers from the Yale University
School of Medicine and Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALXN) are
presenting a poster at the 28th Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience here
today that reports on novel approaches to the transplantation of pig cells
which have implications for the treatment of spinal cord injury patients. The
report includes data showing that the transgenic pig cells form a sheath
around damaged neurons in animals whose spinal cords were surgically severed,
and that the spinal cords that had received the pig cell transplants showed
restoration of normal nerve signal conduction.
"We are very excited by these results demonstrating that cells from Alexion's
patented transgenic complement resistant pigs facilitate both nerve
regeneration and the restoration of spinal cord conduction in this animal
model of spinal cord injury," said Leonard Bell, M.D., President and Chief
Executive Officer of Alexion. "We look forward to the day when we will be
able to provide a ready source of cells with the potential to restore function
to patients suffering from paralysis due to spinal cord injury."
Entitled "Facilitation of Axonal Conductance Across Transected Rat Spinal Cord
Following Transplantation of Olfactory Ensheathing Cells or Schwann Cells" the
report comes from the laboratories of Dr. Jeffery D. Koesis of the Department
of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, and Dr. William L. Fodor,
Senior Director of Xenotransplantation, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and
their colleagues. Both Yale and Alexion are located in New Haven, CT.
"Alexion's transgenic pig cells were associated with the highest levels of
spinal cord repair and regeneration that we have yet seen using this
transplantation approach," said Dr. Koesis. "We have also started to test
these cells in primates, and are encouraged by preliminary results obtained
with transgenic pig cells that look similar to the results obtained in rats."
According to the Christopher Reeve Foundation, more than half of the spinal
cord injured individuals in the United States were injured between the ages of
16 and 30, with the majority (90%) of people surviving and living near normal
lifespans.
"We are encouraged by Alexion's results particularly as they relate to
olfactory ensheathing cells (0EC)," said Mr. Augusto Odone, President of the
Myelin Project in Washington, D.C. "Studies performed by Myelin Project
researchers on both sides of the Atlantic have shown that these cells not only
promote axonal regrowth, but also foster remyelination of naked axons. The
availability of porcine OEC transplantable into the human central nervous
system (CNS) may obviate the difficulties of obtaining significant amounts of
these cells from humans. Alexion's xenotransplantation technology may thus
greatly contribute to ongoing efforts to remyelinate the CNS of Multiple
Sclerosis and leukodystrophy sufferers."
Augusto and Michaela Odone's only child, Lorenzo, is afflicted with a
hereditary demyelinating disease, adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). Although not
medical doctors, the Odones developed a therapy, now adopted on both sides of
the Atlantic, which reverses the biochemical defect of ALD. The story of the
Odone's struggle against ALD was dramatized in the 1992 Universal Studios
release Lorenzo's Oil starring Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon.
According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, there are
approximately 8,000 new spinal cord injury patients in the U.S. each year and
at least 200,000 patients have suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury. Most
spinal cord injury patients are young adults and slightly over one-half of
patients suffer the most severe form of non-fatal spinal injury, quadriplegia,
or loss of use of all four limbs. "Alexion's findings represent an important
stepping stone toward the overall management of spinal cord injury patients,"
said Thomas H. Countee, Jr., Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of
the National Spinal Cord Injury Association.
Xenotransplantation refers to the transplantation of non-human cells, tissues
and/or organs into human patients. The genetic engineering of pigs with cells
expressing human complement inhibitors may provide a highly effective means of
protecting the cells, tissues and organs of such pigs from rejection, thereby
providing more readily accepted xenotransplantation products.
Alexion is pioneering a double-barreled approach to the problem of complement-
mediated rejection of xenografts. This proprietary approach involves the
creation of transgenic pigs that have been genetically altered to express
human complement inhibitor proteins (which can provide a shield against
complement-mediated rejection), and to reduce or eliminate the expression of
certain sugar structures that can trigger complement-mediated rejection.
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 1992 and is engaged in the
development of selective immunotherapeutic drugs that generally are designed
to inhibit the disease-causing segments of the immune system while preserving
the disease-preventing aspects of the immune system. The Company is
developing three technology platforms: C5 Complement Inhibitors and Apogen T-
Cell Therapeutics which together target severe cardiovascular and autoimmune
disorders; and xenografts for organ transplantation.
This news release contains forward-looking statements. Such statements are
subject to certain factors which may cause Alexion's plans to differ or
results to vary from those expected including unexpected pre-clinical or
clinical results, the need for additional research and testing, delays in
manufacturing, access to capital and funding, delays and adverse changes in
development of commercial relationships and a variety of risks set forth from
time to time in Alexion's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
including but not limited to the risks discussed in Alexion's Annual Report on
form 10-K for the year ended July 31, 1998. Alexion undertakes no obligation
to publicly release results of any of these forward-looking statements which
may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to
reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
SOURCE Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
CO: Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Yale University School of Medicine
ST: Connecticut
IN: MTC
SU: