Advanced Cancer Therapeutics Licenses Technology to Develop Human Papillomavirus...

Advanced Cancer Therapeutics Licenses Technology to Develop Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine

HPV is the Leading Cause of Cervical Cancer Worldwide
LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(Business Wire)--
Advanced Cancer Therapeutics (ACT), a for-profit private company
dedicated to bringing new anti-cancer therapies to market, today
announced the signing of two new collaborative agreements that will
advance development of the Company's novel human papillomavirus (HPV)
vaccine program.

The vaccine, to be produced in tobacco plants, targets the L2
protein, an integral part of the papillomavirus capsid. Preclinical
research indicates that this development strategy may yield a vaccine
that provides broader immune protection against a greater number of
the approximate 200 HPV subtypes, as well as provide a more
cost-effective alternative to the currently available options to
patients. As such, the vaccine could have a significant impact on
reducing the global incidence of HPV-linked cancers, including
cervical cancer.

"There is a clear need for a lower cost HPV vaccine with broad
spectrum immune protection against a greater number of the approximate
200 HPV subtypes and there are indications that a plant-produced L2
peptide based vaccine could provide a valuable treatment alternative,"
said Randall B. Riggs, President and CEO of Advanced Cancer
Therapeutics. "These agreements are central to the timely and
efficient development of a novel vaccine and we look forward to
continuing our collaborations as we work towards this common goal."

The first agreement announced today is with the University of
Louisville's James Graham Brown Cancer Center and grants ACT exclusive
worldwide development and commercialization rights to monovalent
vaccines derived from the minor capsid protein (L2) of human
papillomavirus. The L2 protein, in combination with the L1 protein can
assemble into virus-like particles (VLPs) in various expression
systems. Immunization of laboratory animals with such VLP preparations
or with inactivated virions from various animal papillomaviruses (PV)
has been shown to protect animals from papillomavirus associated
disease, indicating the potential of prophylactic PV vaccines based on
PV capsids.

The intellectual property, licensed to ACT through University of
Louisville's Office of Technology Transfer, is based on research by
associate professor Kenneth Palmer, professor A. Bennett Jenson and
their colleagues.

"The human papillomavirus is the leading cause of cervical cancer
and is increasingly being implicated in other cancers, such as those
of the head and neck," said professor Jenson. "As we learn more about
the virus, it is becoming even more important to be able to protect
people from preventable cancers by vaccinating them against this
disease."

The current vaccine, Gardasil, costs approximately $350 for the
three-dose series. According to the World Health Organization, about
80 percent of the world's 500,000 annual cases of cervical cancer
occur in developing countries, where neither routine screening nor the
vaccine are available or affordable.

"Our research to date indicates that the technology we are using
to produce the vaccine protein in plants will be very cost-effective,"
said associate professor Palmer, a pharmacologist and plant
bioscientist.

The second agreement announced today is with Kentucky
BioProcessing, LLC (KBP), of Owensboro, Kentucky, for exclusive
worldwide development and commercialization rights to KBP's
GENEWARE(R) plant based gene expression system for development of an
HPV vaccine. The GENEWARE system is widely recognized as one of the
world's most potent, robust and effective plant-based gene expression
systems and uses a specifically altered tobacco mosaic virus as a
vehicle to carry a target protein. Once this altered virus is
introduced into the tobacco plant, the natural growth of the plant
causes the protein to be reproduced in larger quantities. Expression
of antigens in plant systems offers the potential for products of
appropriately-folded viral antigens under cost-effective and favorable
agricultural scale conditions.

"Joining together on this exciting project allows ACT, KBP and the
Brown Cancer Center to leverage the business, scientific and
intellectual property capabilities of three Kentucky based entities to
develop a solution to a very serious world health concern. KBP is
proud to be a part of this collaboration," said KBP Chairman Hugh
Haydon.

About Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a leading cause of cervical, anal
and vaginal cancer, and approximately 20 million people are currently
infected with this sexually transmitted disease (STD). According to
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 80 percent of
women will have acquired genital HPV infection by age 50 with about
6.2 million Americans contracting a new genital HPV infection each
year. The U.S. FDA recently approved the first HPV cervical cancer
vaccine that includes a portion of the L1 capsid protein to guard
against this terrible disease. Advanced Cancer Therapeutics is
developing a novel HPV vaccine which targets the L2 capsid protein
that we believe should provide broader immune protection to patients
at risk of contracting cervical cancer. ACT intends to manufacture its
novel HPV vaccine from tobacco mosaic plants, promising to be very
cost effective for people at risk of contracting HPV in both developed
and developing nations.

About Kentucky BioProcessing, LLC (KBP)

KBP (www.kbpllc.com) is located in Owensboro, Kentucky and is a
world leader in the expression, extraction, purification and
commercial scale production of proteins and other products from
plants. KBP offers clients and collaborators access to controlled
plant growth facilities along with bench, pilot and full scale
processing facilities capable of production under cGMP conditions. In
addition to its own capabilities KBP is able to leverage the
experienced staff and facilities of the Owensboro Cancer Research
Program and provides linkages to the considerable plant made product
expertise of the Owensboro area agriculture community and to other
services offered throughout the region designed to support research,
development and growth of a plant made product business cluster.

About Advanced Cancer Therapeutics (ACT)

ACT is a for-profit private company dedicated to advancing novel
therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of cancer. ACT has
successfully established a unique and innovative business model with
the University of Louisville's James Graham Brown Cancer Center (Brown
Cancer Center) whereby ACT is able to obtain exclusive worldwide
licenses to novel cancer therapeutics discovered at Brown Cancer
Center under preset business terms. ACT then fast-tracks these
discoveries, including the selection process for partnership,
commercialization and manufacture, to the pharmaceutical industry, and
ultimately to the patients who need them. Led by Dr. Don Miller, the
Brown Cancer Center employs over fifty leading scientists focused on
the discovery and advancement of breakthrough cancer therapeutics for
patients suffering from cancer. For more information, please visit:
http://www.advancedcancertherapeutics.com.

About James Graham Brown Cancer Center

The James Graham Brown Cancer Center is a key component of the
University of Louisville's Health Sciences Center and UofL Health
Care. As the region's leading academic, research, and teaching medical
center, our patients benefit from the latest medical advances, often
long before they become available in non-teaching settings. The Brown
Cancer Center is affiliated with the Kentucky Cancer Program and the
National Cancer Institute. It is the only cancer center in the region
to use a unified approach to cancer care, with multidisciplinary teams
of physicians working together to guide patients through diagnosis,
treatment and recovery. For more information, please visit:
http://www.browncancercenter.org.

Advanced Cancer Therapeutics
Randall B. Riggs, 502-589-6404, ext. 110
President & CEO
riggs_act@bellsouth.net

Copyright Business Wire 2008