Houston, TX, (December 14, 2004) Cytogenix, Inc. (CYGX: OTC: BB)
CytoGenix, Inc. (CYGX: OTC: BB) announces the filing of a patent application with the US Patent and Trademark Office for an invention titled "Chemo-Enzymatic Synthesis of DNA and Uses Thereof". This new technology is a significant advance and a big step towards making DNA medicines a reality. The limited supply and high cost of FDA-approved DNA has stifled the development of powerful DNA vaccines and cancer immunotherapy drugs.
Currently, manufacturers use large fermentation vats of cloned E. coli bacteria to produce DNA by culturing, then rupturing the bacteria to extract the DNA. This process produces great quantities of toxic bacterial contaminants. Sophisticated and expensive purification methods are necessary to remove these toxins, driving the cost of FDA-approved DNA to as much as $250,000 a gram or $250,000,000 a kilogram.
CytoGenix' breakthrough synthesis technology does not use bacteria and therefore produces no bacterial toxins. Gram or greater quantities of very high purity DNA can now be produced in test tubes or flasks in laboratories at a fraction of the time and cost of DNA manufactured using traditional bioprocess methods.
Dr. Malcolm Skolnick, CytoGenix President and CEO commented, "Once you eliminate the bacteria, the scale of production and related costs of DNA come way down. This technology transcends economic implications. More importantly, we have introduced a fundamental improvement to the science of making DNA. For example, DNA vaccines are made of DNA "rings" called plasmids. Scientists design these plasmids to contain instructions that "prompt" the immune system to identify and destroy a viral or bacterial pathogen, such as those that cause AIDS, SARS or influenza."
"Along with the therapeutic DNA, the traditional bacteria-based technology requires that the plasmid contain DNA "instructions" for its replication in E. coli as well. These extraneous bacterial genes are not entirely benign and can elicit serious side effects. By eliminating the need for this extra DNA, the plasmids are significantly smaller and safer, thus enabling greater drug concentrations if required. We believe that by eliminating these extra pieces in the DNA plasmid, scientists will now have much more freedom and control in designing better and safer DNA drugs."
"We will use this technology to reduce the costs of the DNA needed for the clinical trials of our herpes anti-viral and anti-inflammatory topical products as well as making the technology available to others through licensing or contract manufacturing," adds, Dr. Skolnick.
CytoGenix, Inc. is a Houston-based biopharmaceutical company that develops and markets innovative products and services based on its proprietary ssDNA expression technology. CytoGenix currently has one issued US patent and over 48 international or US pending patent applications claiming methods and materials in connection with this platform technology.
SAFE HARBOR: Except for statements of historical fact, the statements in this press release are forward-looking. Such statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. These factors include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions, risks associated with the acceptance of new products, competition, and other factors more fully detailed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Additional information about CytoGenix and its technology can be found on the website at www.cytogenix.com.
Contact: Communications Director — Juan Ferreira, (407) 774-9949
