Healthcare Industry News: Extracellular Matrix
News Release - November 8, 2006
Dr. Hynda Kleinman Joins RegeneRx Medical and Scientific Advisory Board
BETHESDA, Md.--(HSMN NewsFeed)--REGENERX BIOPHARMACEUTICALS, INC. (AMEX:RGN ; www.regenerx.com) reported today that Dr. Hynda Kleinman has joined RegeneRx's Medical and Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Kleinman is the former chief of the Cell Biology Section at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, one of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda Maryland. Dr. Kleinman's research laboratory first reported on the wound healing effects of Thymosin beta 4 (TB4), a synthetic version of a naturally occurring molecule that is a major component of RegeneRx's technology platform and the subject of phase II clinical trials."We are so pleased to have Dr. Kleinman join our team and become a member of our esteemed Medical and Scientific Advisory Board. Her knowledge and expertise will prove invaluable as we continue our product development and as we look at other biologically active molecules within our technology platform that may play a role in the prevention and treatment of human disease," commented Dr. Allan Goldstein, RegeneRx's chairman and chief scientific advisor.
"While at the NIH I was limited in my ability to work directly with RegeneRx. However, I am very pleased that I can now work closely with the company to help them develop medical products with which my laboratory was involved. It is very rewarding to see how far we've come in the wound healing area and I look forward to helping in any way I can," said Dr. Kleinman.
The RegeneRx Technology Platform
TB4, the cornerstone of RegeneRx's technology platform, is a synthetic version of a naturally occurring peptide present in virtually all human cells. It is a first-in-class drug candidate that promotes endothelial cell differentiation, angiogenesis in dermal tissues, keratinocyte migration, collagen deposition, and down-regulates inflammation. One of TB4's key mechanisms of action is its ability to regulate the cell-building protein, actin, a vital component of cell structure and movement. Of the thousands of proteins in cells, actin represents up to 10% of the total protein and, thus, plays a major role in the physiology of the cell. RegeneRx has identified several molecular variations of TB4 that may affect the aging of skin, among other properties, and could be important candidates as active ingredients in pharmaceutical and consumer products. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health, and at other academic institutions throughout the U.S., have published numerous scientific articles indicating that TB4 is effective in accelerating dermal and corneal wound healing in several animal models, under a variety of conditions. In an article published in the scientific journal, Nature, researchers found that TB4 protects heart tissue following a myocardial infarction (heart attack) in laboratory animals. Abstracts of scientific papers related to TB4's mechanisms of action may be viewed at RegeneRx's web page: www.regenerx.com.
About Dr. Hynda Kleinman
Until her recent retirement, for the past thirty-one years Dr. Kleinman was a researcher, acting chief and chief of the Cell Biology Section at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Kleinman's expertise is in development and cell biology. She is the inventor or co-inventor of numerous issued patents and is prominently known for her development of Matrigel, an Extracellular Matrix used in research on angiogenesis, cancer, and stem cell differentiation, among other areas. Dr. Kleinman and her team have published over 300 scientific papers, book chapters, and commentaries throughout her distinguished career. She has received numerous awards and fellowships within the NIH, as well as from many outside organizations. Dr. Kleinman received her B.S. in chemistry from Simmons College, and her M.S. and Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
About RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
RegeneRx is focused on the discovery and development of novel molecules to accelerate tissue and organ repair. Currently, RegeneRx is developing TB4, a synthetic version of a 43 amino acid peptide, in part, under an exclusive world-wide license from the National Institutes of Health. Preliminary research suggests that TB4 may prove efficacious for multiple indications; therefore RegeneRx is developing TB4 as a therapeutic platform. RegeneRx holds nearly sixty world-wide patents and patent applications related to dermal, ocular, and internal wounds and tissue repair, cardiac and neurological injuries, and septic shock. RegeneRx is currently sponsoring three Phase II chronic dermal wound healing clinical trials and has additionally targeted ophthalmic and cardiac trials in 2007 as part of its ongoing clinical development program.
Source: RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals
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