Study Shows Resten-NG Inhibits C-myc Oncogene in CV Disease, Cancer

At the International Conferences on Gene Therapy and Molecular Biology and Medicine in Redwood City, CA, AVI BioPharma Inc. (Portland, OR) presented results from studies of Resten-NG, an antisense compound being developed for the prevention of restenosis, a cardiovascular disease. Resten-NG inhibits the oncogene c-myc in cardiovascular disease and other proliferative diseases such as cancer.

The oncogene c-myc is expressed during cell proliferation in a wide variety of tissues and appears to be involved in the control of transformation and differentiation. The expression of c-myc following balloon angioplasty may result in restenosis, a frequent complication following treatment for coronary artery disease when damaged smooth muscle cells divide rapidly to cause closure of the artery for a second time. Resten-NG is AVI's gene-specific approach to halting c-myc expression, based on an antisense mechanism of action.

AVI has conducted extensive preclinical studies of Resten-NG in a variety of animal models, confirming that classical enzymology approaches can be used to evaluate antisense inhibition of c-myc expression in vivo, said Patrick L. Iversen, Sr. VP of Research and Development at AVI. "We are very excited by the results observed to date, which demonstrate that we can utilize existing methodologies to measure the effectiveness of our Resten-NG antisense compound. Additionally, our studies continue to validate our belief that c-myc is an important antisense target, which may have substantial therapeutic value in many proliferative diseases."

AVI plans to file an Investigational New Drug Application for Resten-NG for the treatment of restenosis later this year. The company is also evaluating the technology's ability to halt cell proliferation in a variety of cancers.

AVI BioPharma Inc. develops and commercializes products for the treatment of life-threatening diseases using three platform technologies: vaccines, gene-targeted drugs, and drug delivery.

For more information: Denis R. Burger, President and CEO, AVI BioPharma Inc., One SW Columbia, Ste. 1105, Portland, OR 97201. Tel: 503-227-0554. Fax: 503-227-0751.