[Fwd: (StillsNet) New Therapy for Autoimmune diseases]

[Guest guest]

ZymoGenetics discovers

potential new therapy for autoimmune diseases

Researchers

at ZymoGenetics, Inc. announced today the discovery of a potential new

therapy for lupus, and possibly other autoimmune diseases

Administration

of a novel immunosuppressive agent developed at ZymoGenetics inhibited

disease symptoms and prolonged life in a mouse model of systemic lupus

erythematosus (SLE). This research, reported in the April 27, 2000 issue

of Nature, demonstrates the important role genomics can play in the discovery

of novel pharmaceuticals. Researchers hope that this discovery could lead

to breakthrough treatments for a variety of immunological diseases, such

as lupus, myasthenia gravis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis,

psoriasis, and perhaps certain types of lymphatic cancers.

"We were one

of the first to recognize the powerful opportunity to identify protein

therapeutics from genomics approaches," said

ZymoGenetics

President and CEO, Bruce L.A. , Ph.D. "Our discovery that the soluble

TACI receptor inhibits symptoms of autoimmune disease provides further

validation of our strategy, which combines expertise in genomics and biology

to turn novel proteins into therapeutic candidates."

How the New

Treatment Worked in Mice B cells play an important role in the body's immune

system by producing antibodies, which attach to foreign matter and initiate

a normal immune response.

In diseases

of autoimmunity like lupus, B cells go awry and produce antibodies that

attack the body in a destructive manner. In SLE patients, the amounts of

these circulating antibodies become too great for the body to effectively

eliminate, eventually resulting in kidney damage and sometimes death.

The immunosuppressive

agent under investigation at ZymoGenetics, termed soluble "TACI," is a

modified form of a receptor that is found on the surface of B cells. Soluble

TACI works by capturing a cytokine in the blood that stimulates B cells

to make antibodies. In diseased mice treated with soluble TACI, this captured

cytokine was unable to act on B cells. The proportion of B cells decreased,

and these mice lived longer

and had less

severe disease symptoms.

Researchers

are continuing to investigate the use of soluble TACI to regulate B cell

activities, including the inhibition of production of destructive antibodies

against the body.

"We have established

an important relationship between TACI and SLE in mice," said lead author

on the Nature paper, Dr. Jane Gross. "We can now examine the utility of

the soluble TACI receptor as a therapeutic for other autoimmune diseases."

The unmodified

TACI receptor was discovered separately by ZymoGenetics and St. Jude Children's

Research Hospital. ZymoGenetics has taken an exclusive license to intellectual

property owned by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital relating to the

unmodified receptor.

Background

on Lupus

Over one million

people in the United States suffer from SLE, and of these, an estimated

200,000 have sustained severe organ damage, requiring them to take immunosuppressive

drugs to help them control the disease. Many of these drugs have debilitating

side effects, so there is a clear need for treatments that act more specifically.

There have

been no fundamental advances in the treatment of SLE since the 1970s. In

addition to SLE, more than fifty diseases are thought to involve autoimmunity.

Researchers at ZymoGenetics are hopeful that soluble TACI will ultimately

prove successful in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

ZymoGenetics,

founded in 1981, currently leverages its expertise in bioinformatics and

biology to discover and develop novel therapeutic proteins. Several product

candidates that address significant disease markets are in preclinical

development under a strong patent portfolio.

ZymoGenetics'

successful track record of protein discovery and genetic engineering places

it among the top biotech companies in terms of the number of marketed products

derived from its work.

Jay

timberwolf@...

Timber Ridge

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