WORCESTER, Mass., Sept. 18, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Generex Biotechnology Corporation (Nasdaq:GNBT), the leader in drug delivery for metabolic diseases through the inner lining of the mouth, announced today that it will be making a podium presentation at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the European Society Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, September 17 - 21, 2007 (www.easd.org).
Professor Paolo Pozzilli of the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes at the University Campus Bio-Medico in Rome, Italy will make an oral presentation of a paper entitled Ii-Key/MHC class II epitope hybrid technology to detect T cell response to insulin and GAD in type 1 diabetes. The paper is co-authored by Professor Pozzilli and Doctors M. Vadacca and L. Valente, also of University Campus Bio-Medico, G. Valorani of the Diabetes Department, Queen Mary, University of London, UK, G. D'Agostino of Instituto Superior di Sanita, Rome, Italy, and Doctors R. Humphreys and N. Kallinteris of the Company's wholly-owned immunotherapeutics subsidiary, Antigen Express, Inc.
The technology used by Professor Pozzilli's group, developed at Antigen Express, facilitates detection of autoimmune responses that underlie Type-1 Diabetes Mellitus. The hallmark of this disease is the immune-mediated destruction of cells in the pancreas that secrete insulin. The specific targets of this autoimmune response are the insulin protein itself or glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD). The studies to be presented by Professor Pozzilli show that Ii-Key modified peptides derived from either insulin or GAD can detect this autoimmunity with greater sensitivity than the unmodified peptides. These findings have implications both for the diagnosis and the treatment of Type-1 diabetes. Early detection of Type-1 diabetes greatly increases the quality of care for such patients. The appearance of cellular immunity, as detected by specific Ii-Key hybrids, would catch people at the earliest possible stages. Finally, such peptides may also be used for immuno-modulation in Type-1 diabetes, offering hope for a cure in these patients.
The EASD is based on individual membership and embraces scientists, physicians, laboratory workers, nurses, and students from all over the world who are interested in diabetes and related subjects. The aims of the EASD are to encourage and support research in the field of diabetes, the rapid diffusion of acquired knowledge, and to facilitate its application.
About Generex
Generex is engaged in the research and development of drug delivery systems and technologies. Generex has developed a proprietary platform technology for the delivery of drugs into the human body through the oral cavity (with no deposit in the lungs). The Company's proprietary liquid formulations allow drugs typically administered by injection to be absorbed into the body by the lining of the inner mouth using the Company's proprietary RapidMist(tm) device. The Company's flagship product, oral insulin (Generex Oral-lyn(tm)), which is available for sale in Ecuador for the treatment of patients with Type-1 and Type-2 diabetes and before the end of 2007 the Company expects to begin Phase 3 trials of the product in the United States, Canada and Europe. Antigen Express is a wholly owned subsidiary of Generex. The core platform technologies of Antigen Express comprise immunotherapeutics for the treatment of malignant, infectious, allergic, and autoimmune diseases. For more information, visit the Generex website at www.generex.com or the Antigen Express website at www.antigenexpress.com.
Safe Harbor Statement: This release and oral statements made from time to time by Generex representatives concerning the same subject matter may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by introductory words such as "expects," "plans," "intends," "believes," "will," "estimates," "forecasts," "projects" or words of similar meaning, and by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements frequently are used in discussing potential product applications, potential collaborations, product development activities, clinical studies, regulatory submissions and approvals, and similar operating matters. Many factors may cause actual results to differ from forward-looking statements, including inaccurate assumptions and a broad variety of risks and uncertainties, some of which are known and others of which are not. Known risks and uncertainties include those identified from time to time in the reports filed by Generex with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which should be considered together with any forward-looking statement. No forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future results or events, and one should avoid placing undue reliance on such statements. Generex cannot be sure when or if it will be permitted by regulatory agencies to undertake additional clinical trials or to commence any particular phase of clinical trials. Because of this, statements regarding the expected timing of clinical trials cannot be regarded as actual predictions of when Generex will obtain regulatory approval for any "phase" of clinical trials. Generex claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements that is contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act.