VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 10/03/06 -- enGene, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company developing an innovative approach for the treatment of diabetes called GEMS(TM)-Insulin, announced today that Dr. Christopher J. Rhodes and Dr. Imre Kovesdi have joined the company as Scientific Advisors. The addition of Drs. Rhodes and Kovesdi further bolsters the Company's expertise in the areas of diabetes and gene therapy.
Dr. Christopher Rhodes, a leader in diabetes research, is currently a Professor in Medicine and Research Director of the Diabetes Center at the University of Chicago. Dr. Rhodes' diabetes research expertise centers on molecular mechanisms of insulin production and secretion, as well as signal transduction pathways that control pancreatic beta-cells growth and death in relation to the pathogenesis of diabetes. He has published over 100 manuscripts with funding from organizations such as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the American Diabetes Association and the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Rhodes also serves as a member of the National Institutes of Health Endocrinology and CADO Study Sections, and is an associate editor of Diabetes. Last year, Dr. Rhodes was made chairman of the medical and scientific research committees at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, as well as chairman of the American Diabetes Association Council for Molecular, Cellular and Biochemical Aspects of Diabetes. Among his other honors are an international fellowship award from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and various visiting lecturer and professor positions.
Dr. Kovesdi is a pioneer and leader in the development of gene therapy for clinical applications. He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of VectorLogic, Inc., a private biotechnology company. Prior to joining VectorLogic, Dr. Kovesdi served as Chief Scientific Officer with GenVec Inc. (NASDAQ: GNVC). He joined GenVec in 1993 as one of its earliest employees and held several senior positions directing research, development and manufacturing before being appointed as CSO. Dr. Kovesdi was a major contributor to GenVec's intellectual property portfolio. Prior to joining GenVec, he led projects in the development of gene expression systems and therapeutic gene design at the Medical Research Division of the New York-based American Cyanamid Company. He holds over 70 US and foreign patents and has authored over 120 scientific articles in the areas of virology, gene delivery and molecular biology. Dr. Kovesdi has served as a reviewer for the National Institute of Health on numerous scientific guidelines in gene therapy. He also serves on the boards of a number of biotechnology and information technology companies.
"We are extremely proud to have been able to attract Drs. Rhodes and Kovesdi to join our Scientific Advisor Board. They are renowned scientists and industry experts with proven track records and are widely recognized as thought leaders in the fields of diabetes and gene therapy," said Dr. Anthony Cheung, CSO of enGene. Dr. Cheung added, "Collectively, Drs. Rhodes and Kovesdi bring a wealth of experience in the development of diabetes and gene therapy products to enGene, at a critical period, as the Company continues its path to be a pioneer to bring an innovative technology with significant curative potential to treat diabetes." Dr. Paul Robbins, Chairman of enGene's Scientific Advisory Board, said "Drs. Kovesdi and Rhodes, who are internationally recognized experts in gene therapy and diabetes, bring important expertise to the Advisory Board and will greatly contribute to the development of novel, effective products for treating diabetes."
More about enGene, Inc. and GEMS(TM) for Diabetes
enGene's approach is to utilize the therapeutic protein production capacity of the patient's existing, normal, healthy cells in a small, targeted area of the duodenum by delivering a gene construct in a non-viral vector. For GEMS(TM)-Insulin, this means enabling the patients' own cells to produce insulin in a regulated, meal-dependant fashion resulting in physiologic control of blood glucose levels. enGene's studies show that mice can produce human insulin for over 150 days after a single administration of the GEMS(TM)-Insulin gene.
Other potential applications for GEMS(TM) include obesity, anemia, hemophilia and several gastrointestinal disorders.
Additional information about the Company is available at www.engeneinc.com.
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