FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., Nov. 20, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Tekron, Inc. (OTCBB:TKRN) announces that Biovirus and Dr. Insell are proceeding with the development of military applications of their combined technology platforms.
There can be no doubt we have entered a new era of heightened awareness to intentional (Anthrax) and unintentional (SARS) biological threats. While governments currently bear most of the responsibility for our safety, the responsibility will likely broaden to include the private sector. Increased vigilance and government surveillance has led to a new perception of reality. Yet none of these biological threats are new! New approaches, methodologies and vaccines will have to be created to thwart both perceived and real biological threats and disease. These include both viral and bacterial agents such as Smallpox, West Nile virus, other filoviruses, SARS, viral hemorrhagic disease, Ebola, Plague, Anthrax, Botulism, and Tularemia.
Biovirus is using its proprietary mathematical (computational genomic) technology platform and immunological expertise to build a library of novel, synthetic peptides because it believes that such antigens could be the key active component(s) of future preventative and therapeutic vaccines for new strains or variants of Smallpox. Biovirus is further committing to collaborate with Dr. Insell with the goal of applying its technology platform to bacterial pathogenic agents such as Anthrax. Such efforts may yield a new class of peptide vaccines hitherto not known.
Short discovery cycle. Usually it takes months if not years to develop vaccine prototypes for new or mutated viruses. Our technology, which is based on computational genomic, dramatically shortens the cycle allowing the first candidates to be calculated, synthesized and tested in a matter of days to weeks. This can completely change the way in which biological weaponry is developed and counter measured. In other words, when a new viral biological weapon is developed and/or deployed, a vaccine counter measure (novel peptides construct) can be calculated, made and tested in a matter of weeks. This definitely applies to viral agents, known and new variants, as well as new variants of Anthrax. It is possible that new variants of Anthrax for military use have already been produced.
Dr. Insell's research and extensive experience with B. anthracic, B. thuringiensis and B. medusa has shown that these pathogens are merely plastid transposable genetic variations of the common spore-forming bacterium Bacillus cereus. Bacillus anthracic is the human pathogenic form, Bacillus thuringiensis is the insecticidal form and Bacillus medusa is of unknown pathogen city. These transposable plasmid elements encode for various different toxins responsible for the pathogenicity of these spore-forming bacteria. Using Bio-Virus' technology platform, it may be possible to develop peptide construct vaccines that are potent immunogens against these toxins, their bacterial cells and their spores. Biovirus Medical intends on immediately pursuing this line of research and development.
About Biovirus:
Biovirus Research Corporation is a privately held biopharmaceutical corporation that uses bioinformatics (computational genomic), functional genomic (gene function) and immunology for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of herpes virus infections and their associated diseases. The company has used its proprietary bioinformatic platform to build a library of novel anti-herpetic peptide constructs that are the active components of several preventative and therapeutic vaccines.
Biovirus over the past 10 years has developed and patented the research discoveries of Dr. Daniel Golubev, renowned Russian virologist and former chair of the Department of Virology at Leningrad State University. Dr. Golubev, while in Russia, discovered the persistence of Influenza A virus, developed its vaccine, discovered a correlation between the herpetic virus genomes and DNA of atherosclerotic plaques and produced along with Alex Chaihorsky, President and CEO of Biovirus, a novel patented peptide vaccine towards Herpes Simplex type I and II. Biovirus developed a novel, mathematical approach in developing peptide vaccines that are non-viral, synthetic and polyvalent. Among other possibilities, this approach can be used for extremely rapid development of multiple vaccine candidates. The estimated market for this product is approximately $300 Million per annum.
About Dr. Insell
Dr. Insell received his B.Sc. in engineering physics from the University of Waterloo in 1972. His scientific training broadened as he took positions at The Hospital for Sick Children, Sunnybrook Hospital, Toronto, Ontario and the University of Toronto, Department of Surgery studying the ultra structure of hyper acute rejection, human fetal lung development and extra corporal renal viability in the laboratories of Dr. Martin Barkin, Dr. Cohen and Dr. G. A Taylor. He pursued his electron microscopic interests studying the genetics, ultra structure and physiology of predacious fungi receiving his M. Sc. in microbiology in 1975 from the University of Waterloo. His elucidation of the novel biophysics of these fascinating microorganisms was featured by the prestigious journal New Scientist.
Insell continued his studies of the molecular genetics and biochemistry of pathogenic sporulating bacilli, Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus anthracic in the laboratories of Dr. Phil Fitz-James, Department of Bacteriology and Immunology at the University of Western Ontario and subsequently earned his PhD in bacteriology and immunology from the School of Medicine in 1982. His studies led to an understanding of the origin of the pathogenicity of speculating bacilli and their evolution. He undertook his postdoctoral training studying the ultra structure, physiology and biochemistry of psychrophilic and mesophilic pathogenic fungi. He took a faculty position in the Department of Life Sciences, pursuing his research interests in molecular evolution.
In 1984, Dr. Insell took his discovery of microbial ontogenetic evolution and founded a biotechnology company commercializing this finding. For the next eight years, he developed and patented bacteria that degrade toxic waste as well as developed novel strains of the insecticidal bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus laterosporus and the renown human pathogen Bacillus anthracis (anthrax). Dr. Insell took the first biotech company public in Canada. Dr. Insell was featured in the Canadian Business Magazine as well as being nominated for the highly prestigious Ernest Manning leading Canadian scientist award in 1986.
From 1996 to 1998, Dr. Insell resided in San Diego and became actively involved in it's biotech community, culminating in becoming a consulting biotechnology associate director in engineering and science at the University of California, San Diego. Before returning to Canada, Dr. Insell liaised with state and federal legislators, sat on the Biocom employment taskforce, working with many of the over three hundred and fifty biotechnology companies in San Diego and contributed to the biotechnology curriculum development at UCSD. He originated and developed several new courses at UCSD in design of clinical trials, FDA approval procedures, GLP and GMP.
Dr. Insell has authored over ten peered reviewed scientific publications, two patents and over fifty scientific reports and engineering assessments. For the past five years, he has been president of J.P Insell & Associates, consulting scientists and engineers, undertaking scientific audits and engineering assessments for investment banking and biopharma venture capitalists. As an environmental engineer as well as a bacteriologist, Dr. Insell has designed and implemented numerous novel treatment systems and site remediations and has been involved in the development of a treatment for herpes, atherosclerosis and a cure for psoriasis.
Most recently, Dr. Insell has been retained by large automotive corporations, financial institutions to provide consulting, and laboratory services for the identification and countermeasure response to germ warfare agents and the response to other unidentified bioharzardous materials (RUM). Dr. Insell has developed biohazard response protocols and designed an emergency responder biohazard kit (equipment) for RUM. Dr Insell teaches these protocols to the medical staff and emergency response personnel in the automotive industry. Dr. Insell lectures on anthrax, tularemia, plague, botulinum, ricin, smallpox and other viral infections such as West Nile virus, SARS, bovine spongiformy encephalitis (mad cows disease) and their corporate response.
About Tekron:
Tekron Inc. is a holding company acquiring interests in high technology, medical and environmental biotechnology companies.
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