LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J.,
July 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/
-- Celsion Corporation (NASDAQ: CLSN), a leading oncology drug
development company, today announced initiation of sales of its
proprietary reagent products for life science
research. Celsion's reagent products are based on its newly
acquired proprietary delivery platform technologies, TheraPlas™ and
TheraSilence™. TheraPlas™ and TheraSilence™ are designed for
optimal transfection (intra-cellular delivery) of plasmid DNA and
RNA into human (and other mammalian) cells.
"Our newly commercialized reagent platform provides Celsion with
yet another avenue for validation of its newly acquired technology,
offering the potential to generate modest revenues in support of
our high-potential oncology pipeline," said Michael H. Tardugno, Celsion's President and
Chief Executive Officer. "The potential of this technology is
demonstrated in EGEN-001, an IL-12 DNA plasmid vector, developed
using the TheraPlas™ platform, which enables cell transfection
followed by persistent, local secretion of the immuno-oncology
cytokine IL-12. Adding to promising results seen to date, we
look forward to the outcome of an ongoing, Phase Ib trial of
EGEN-001 in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, and to initiating a
Phase I study in glioblastoma multiforme, or brain cancer, in the
first half of 2015."
Nucleic acid transfection reagents are widely used in industry
and research institutions. Celsion's broad reagent portfolio
consists of products that are suitable for delivery of plasmid DNA
and a variety of RNAs including siRNA, microRNA, mRNA and
anti-sense RNA. These reagents are simple to use and provide a
high efficiency transfection with low cytotoxicity into a variety
of cell types spanning a broad range of cell lines. The
underlying technology supporting the reagent business is the same
nucleic acid delivery platform technology that Celsion is advancing
through clinical and preclinical testing for the treatment of
ovarian and glioblastoma cancers and other difficult to treat
diseases, including lung cancers.
About Celsion Corporation
Celsion is a fully-integrated oncology company focused on
developing a portfolio of innovative cancer treatments, including
directed chemotherapies, immunotherapies and RNA- or DNA-based
therapies. The Company's lead program is ThermoDox®, a proprietary
heat-activated liposomal encapsulation of doxorubicin, currently in
Phase III development for the treatment of primary liver
cancer. The pipeline also includes EGEN-001, a DNA-based
immunotherapy for the localized treatment of ovarian and brain
cancers. Celsion has three platform technologies for the
development of novel nucleic acid-based immunotherapies and other
anti-cancer DNA or RNA therapies, including
TheraPlas™,
TheraSilence™ and
RAST™. For more information on
Celsion, visit our website: http://www.celsion.com.
Celsion wishes to inform readers that forward-looking
statements in this release are made pursuant to the "safe harbor"
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Readers are cautioned that such forward-looking
statements, including, without limitation, statements about the
acquisition and the combined company as well as clinical and
pre-clinical programs, involve risks and uncertainties. These risks
and uncertainties include, without limitation, difficulties and
operational and financial risks associated with integrating Celsion
and EGEN after completion of the acquisition; unforeseen changes in
the course of research and development activities and in clinical
trials; the significant expense, time, and risk of failure of
conducting clinical trials; the need for Celsion to evaluate its
future development plans; termination of the Technology Development
Contract or collaboration between Celsion and Hisun at any time;
possible changes in cost and timing of development and testing,
capital structure, financial condition, working capital needs and
other financial items; possible acquisitions or licenses of other
technologies, assets or businesses or the possible failure to make
such acquisitions or licenses; possible actions by customers,
suppliers, competitors, regulatory authorities; and other risks
detailed from time to time in the Celsion's periodic reports filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Form
10-Q filed on May 8, 2014. Celsion
assumes no obligation to update or supplement forward-looking
statements that become untrue because of subsequent events, new
information or otherwise.
Celsion Investor Contact
Jeffrey W. Church
Sr. Vice President and CFO
609-482-2455
jchurch@celsion.com
SOURCE Celsion Corporation