Bionomics BNO69 angiogenesis gene discovery published

Aug 10 2004

Bionomics has announced that research conducted by Bionomics and its collaborators at the Hanson Centre of the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science ("IMVS") in Adelaide, Australia, relating to Bionomics' proprietary angiogenesis drug target BNO69, has been published in the high ranking scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (PNAS).

Angiogenesis is a fundamental physiological process of formation of new blood vessels. In adults it is involved in the growth of solid cancers (such as cancer of the breast, colon and prostate) as well as inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and complications of diabetes. Recent clinical successes in cancer with drugs which inhibit angiogenesis, have intensified the interest in this area.

Associate Professor Jennifer Gamble, the leader of the team at the IMVS, said, "Our results suggest that inhibitors of BNO69 alone or in combination with other anti-cancer drugs may be potent inhibitors of the tumourigenesis, targeting not only the tumour cells themselves but also the angiogenic process."

"The publication of BNO69 in a highly regarded scientific journal such as PNAS represents an important step forward for Bionomics. It supports the scientific value of the research and of our proprietary angiogenesis genes as targets for the next generation of anti-angiogenesis therapeutics, which represent a fast-growing and lucrative market," said Dr Deborah Rathjen, CEO and Managing Director of Bionomics.

Bionomics is progressing the development of BNO69 gene silencing molecules as therapeutic candidates in collaboration with the Louisiana Gene Therapy Consortium.