EDMONTON, Alberta, April 11, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Isotechnika Pharma Inc. (TSX:ISA) ("Isotechnika" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the signing of a three year Non-Clinical Evaluation Agreement with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ("NIAID"), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health ("NIH"). Pursuant to the agreement, NIAID-funded contractors will evaluate the Company's portfolio of non-immunosuppressive cyclosporine analogue molecules ("NICAMs") as anti-viral agents.
Isotechnika's NICAM portfolio will be tested through NIAID's preclinical services program for use in biodefense and against emerging infectious disease threats including Hepatitis C, Herpes viruses, Corona viruses (including SARS), Poxviruses (cowpox), Yellow fever, West Nile, Dengue and Papillomavirus.
"We believe that our NICAMs have the potential to address a number of significant unmet medical needs that represent large market opportunities, including infectious disease," commented Dr. Robert Foster, Isotechnika's CEO. "Our collaboration with NIAID will provide us with comprehensive non-clinical evaluation of our portfolio at world-class laboratories with the goal of identifying those NICAMs with the best potential to move forward as anti-viral agents."
About the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
NIAID conducts and supports research - at NIH, throughout the United States and worldwide - to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID Web site at http://www.niaid.nih.gov.
About the National Institutes of Health
The NIH, the U.S. medical research agency, includes 27 institutes and centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary U.S. federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.
About NICAMs
Nonimmunosuppressive Cyclosporine Analog Molecules (NICAMs) are an emerging class of multifunctional drugs showing promise as antiviral, anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective agents. Isotechnika is a leader in the synthesis and development of cyclosporine analogs and has an extensive portfolio of NICAMs
Unlike cyclosporine, NICAMs do not bind to calcineurin and thus have no immunosuppressive activity. Importantly, NICAMs retain the ability to inhibit cyclophilin, and have garnered considerable attention as a novel treatment for a wide range of cyclophilin-mediated conditions. This includes treatment of infectious diseases through the ability of NICAMs to inhibit viral replication.
About Isotechnika Pharma Inc.
Isotechnika Pharma Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of immunomodulating therapeutics designed to offer key safety advantages over currently available treatments. Its lead drug, voclosporin, is a calcineurin inhibitor, and is targeted at the estimated US$3.0 billion market for this class of immunosuppressants. Isotechnika Pharma Inc. trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "ISA". More information on Isotechnika Pharma can be found at www.isotechnika.com or www.sedar.com.