Contact Information: CONTACTS: Dr. Tony Milici CEO GeneThera, Inc. 303-463-6371 Geoff High Principal Pfeiffer High Investor Relations, Inc. 303-393-7044
GeneThera Finalizes License and Research Agreement With Two Leading Italian Universities; Agreement Represents Key Step in Effort to Commercialize Diagnostic and Therapeutic Solutions for Johne's Disease
| Source: GeneThera
ARVADA, CO--(Marketwire - September 22, 2009) - GeneThera, Inc. (PINKSHEETS : GTHR ), an
international biotechnology company, today announced it has finalized a
license and research agreement with two Italian universities: Universita di
Roma "Tor Vergata" (UNIROMA2) and Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
(UCSC).
The agreement will enable GeneThera to commence therapeutic testing of a
breakthrough new compound developed by the universities. The compound,
called LIPOSTIM, will be tested as a possible therapy against veterinary
mycobacterial disorders such as Johne's disease, an infectious, fatal and
as yet incurable bacterial ailment that affects the intestinal tract in
livestock and may be linked to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Crohn's
disease in humans.
Dr. Tony Milici, founder and CEO of GeneThera, said, "LIPOSTIM is at the
heart of a potentially breakthrough treatment for Johne's disease, which
has become a costly and expanding problem for the global agriculture,
livestock and dairy industries. LIPOSTIM acts like a 'smart bomb,' and is
able to significantly enhance antimycobacterial innate immune response
while simultaneously limiting tissue damage. We believe this compound will
provide us with a distinct competitive advantage, as to our knowledge no
comparable type of therapy exists or is being tested."
Maurizio Fraziano, a professor of immunology at UNIROMA2, and Marco De
Spirito, a professor of Physics at UCSC, jointly stated, "Our universities
have been collaborating for more than a decade on the development of the
LIPOSTIM compound, and we are excited that GeneThera will soon commence the
field testing of this potentially breakthrough therapy. We look forward to
working closely with the company on these critical next steps."
Milici said the license agreement represents an important advancement in
GeneThera's broader efforts to commercialize both a diagnostic and
therapeutic solution to Johne's and related diseases. As previously
announced, GeneThera also is working in collaboration with the Universidad
Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) on a diagnostic test for Johne's
disease. UNAM will support this effort in part by providing access to
livestock at a forthcoming testing facility in Monterrey, Mexico.
GeneThera also has reached an agreement with Roche Diagnostics, which will
provide specialized equipment for the testing.
"Our next step will be the setup of our testing lab and related
infrastructure in Monterrey, and I will personally oversee these efforts,"
Milici said. "The LIPOSTIM clinical trial is scheduled to begin soon
thereafter."
Milici added that GeneThera is working to secure additional capital
required to advance its current programs, and has been in discussions with
the funding arm of the New Jersey-based Pharma Finance Conference, which
was recently attended by GeneThera.
Leonardo Zangani, president of New Jersey based Zangani Investment
Community and organizer of Pharma Finance Conference series, stated, "As it
happens in every edition of Pharma Finance, we can see positive results
both at the scientific and financial levels. The agreement between
GeneThera, UNIROMA2 and UCSC is an example of this success."
About GeneThera, Inc.
GeneThera, Inc. is a biotechnology company focused on the development of
molecular assays. The Company is currently in the process of developing
therapeutic vaccines for the detection and prevention of food contaminating
pathogens, veterinary diseases, and diseases affecting human health. More
information about the Company can be found at: http://www.genethera.net.
Safe Harbor Statement
Certain statements and information included in this press release
constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Federal
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements
regarding the potentially breakthrough treatment for Johne's disease; the
potential link between Johne's disease Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and
Crohn's disease in humans; the likelihood that our diagnostic testing
program will be successful; the benefits, if any, of our testing programs
to the global dairy and livestock industries; the anticipated setup of our
testing lab and related infrastructure in Monterrey, and Dr. Milici's
personal attention to the oversight of these efforts. Forward-looking
statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may
cause the Company's actual results in future periods to differ materially
from forecasted results. Factors that could cause or contribute to such
differences include, but are not limited to, our ability to raise capital,
our ability to execute our business strategy in a very competitive
environment, our degree of financial leverage, risks relating to rapidly
developing technology, regulatory considerations, risks related to
international economies, risks related to market acceptance and demand for
our products and services, the impact of competitive services and pricing,
and other risks referenced from time to time in our SEC filings. All
subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us,
or anyone acting on our behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety
by these cautionary statements. We do not undertake any obligations to
publicly release any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect
events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect
unanticipated events that may occur.