For Release at 6:00am EST July 9, 2001

ANTICANCER, INC., RECEIVES FOUR PATENTS ON ITS FLUORESCENCE TUMOR IMAGING TECHNOLOGY

  AntiCancer, Inc., has announced that it has just received four patents from the US Patent and TradeMark Office on its new technology to engineer tumor cells with the jellyfish green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene.  This new technology enables the tumor cells of any type including human to be imaged by their fluorescence in animal models. When the GFP expressing cancer cells are transplanted to appropriate mouse or rat models, the growth of the resulting tumor, metastasis, and vascularization of the tumor, can be imaged from outside the body.   Imaging of the GFP cancer cells is performed by just illuminating the animal with a blue light causing the tumor cells to fluoresce bright green.  No invasive or harmful procedure is used.

  “This is truly a breakthrough in cancer research,” said Dr. Shigeo Yagi, General Manager of AntiCancer.  “This new technology of imaging GFP expressing cancer cells will enable for the first time rapid screening of new anticancer drugs in vivo.  Using the new technology, data can be obtained within hours to a few days to determine whether a new cancer drug is effective against tumor growth, metastasis, and vascularization or angiogenesis.  No existing technology has such power, and the new patents give AntiCancer the top-proprietary position in imaging of cancer in animal models,” said Dr. Yagi.

  The resolution of the GFP-imaging technology is so powerful that even single cancer cells can be visualized from outside the body.  AntiCancer is using this technology to help worldwide pharmaceutical companies and biopharmaceutical companies in their cancer drug discovery programs.  “AntiCancer combines the new GFP technology on top of its unique MetaMouse® metastatic models of cancer, which mimic the cancer patient, allowing for the first time a relevant and highly useful model of cancer drug discovery,” said Dr. Yagi.

  AntiCancer, founded in 1984 and based in San Diego, is also developing new drugs for cancer based on genetic engineering, targeting cancer specific metabolic defects.  The company is also developing diagnostics for cancer and other diseases as well as gene therapy of cancer and other diseases.