SYDNEY, Feb. 2, 2017
/PRNewswire/ -- Benitec Biopharma Limited (ASX:BLT; NASDAQ:
BNTC; NASDAQ: BNTCW) is pleased to announce today that it has made
significant progress with the Company's ddRNAi technology for the
development of therapeutics for the treatment of ocular diseases.
Of particular importance is the output from Benitec's
collaboration with 4D Molecular Therapeutics to identify novel
viral vectors for delivery to the back of the eye using direct
intravitreal injection, a commercially attractive route of
administration.
- Data to be presented at industry leading
conferences
The results of this work will be presented by Dr David Suhy, Benitec's Chief Scientific Officer,
at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
(ARVO)-Asia meeting being held in
Brisbane on February 5th to February 8th, and the Translational
Vision Summit (TVS), being held in conjunction. ARVO-Asia is
a leading conference dedicated to eye and vision research in the
Asia-Pacific region. The TVS
meeting highlights "revolutionary approaches to advancing
innovation in the diagnosis and treatment of eye disease".
- Development of novel viral vectors for delivery to the back
of the eye
Dr David Suhy commented, "Having
a commercially attractive route of administration is a significant
step forward in the program. One of the major limitations of
most ocular gene therapy applications is the use of a highly
complex surgical technique called subretinal injection for delivery
into the eye. We are developing viral vectors which can efficiently
transduce cells within the retina following an office-friendly,
intravitreal injection. This is the same route of
administration used for the standard of care treatments for
Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), including Lucentis® and
Eylea®.
- Expanded potential of developing ddRNAi technology into
ocular indications
David continued, "Being able to deliver drugs in therapeutically
relevant concentrations is a key challenge in drug
development. It has taken significant time and effort, but we
believe that these outcomes demonstrate the commercial
applicability of having a vector that can transduce the retina
following an intravitreal injection. The AMD program is our
first program in this space and we anticipate being able to build a
ddRNAi franchise for other ocular indications, in particular
retinal diseases, using these novel viral vectors as a key
component in that platform."
Benitec's ddRNAi technology is a unique combination of gene
silencing using RNA interference coupled with the long term
therapeutic activity of gene therapy vectors. The lead ocular
candidate, BB-201, is designed to treat patients with the wet form
of AMD and will be featured in the ARVO-Asia presentations.
As a gene therapy approach, BB-201 has been designed for long
term expression of the therapeutic short hairpin RNA from a single
injection. BB-201 is comprised of a novel adeno associated
virus capsid (AAV) and a recombinant DNA cassette engineered to
express steady state levels of three short hairpin RNA (shRNA) that
inhibit VEGF-a, VEGF-b and PlGF, three clinically validated targets
whose expression is shown to lead to the progression of the
disease.
The full presentation will be posted on the Benitec website.
For further information regarding Benitec, please contact the
persons below, or visit the Benitec website at www.benitec.com
Australia
Investor Relations
|
United States
Investor Relations
|
Market Eye
Orla
Keegan
Director
Tel: +61 (2) 8097
1201
Email:
orla.keegan@marketeye.com.au
|
M Group Strategic
Communications
Jay
Morakis
Managing
Director
Tel: +1
212.266.0190
Email:
jmorakis@MGroupSC.com
|
About Age-Related Macular Degeneration
(AMD):
AMD is a disease that has been estimated to
account for 8% of blindness worldwide and has been projected to
impact up to 196 million patients by 2020 and up to 288 million by
2040. The wet form of the disease accounts for about 10% of
all AMD patients but accounts for up to 90% of all the blindness.
The wet form of the disease is characterised by the growth of new
blood vessels into the eye, a phenomenon that has been associated
with the abnormally high expression of abnormally high levels of
proteins from the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family.
The most commonly used standard of care treatments for AMD require
an intravitreal injection into the eye as frequently as monthly or
bi-monthly. Such injections may be required indefinitely to
be able to halt progression of the disease and stabilise
vision.
About Benitec Biopharma Limited:
Benitec
Biopharma Limited (ASX: BLT; NASDAQ: BNTC; NASDAQ: BNTCW) is a
biotechnology company developing innovative therapeutics based on
its patented gene-silencing technology called ddRNAi or 'expressed
RNAi'. Based in Sydney, Australia
with laboratories in Hayward,
California (USA), and collaborators and licensees around the
world, the company is developing ddRNAi-based therapeutics for
chronic and life-threatening human conditions including hepatitis
B, wet age-related macular degeneration and OPMD. Benitec has also
licensed ddRNAi to other biopharmaceutical companies for
applications including HIV/AIDS, Huntington's Disease, chronic
neuropathic pain, cancer immunotherapy and retinitis
pigmentosa.
Safe Harbor Statement:
This press release
contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of section
27A of the US Securities Act of 1933 and section 21E of the US
Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Any forward-looking statements
that may be in the press release are subject to risks and
uncertainties relating to the difficulties in Benitec's plans to
develop and commercialise its product candidates, the timing of the
initiation and completion of preclinical and clinical trials, the
timing of patient enrolment and dosing in clinical trials, the
timing of expected regulatory filings, the clinical utility and
potential attributes and benefits of ddRNAi and Benitec's product
candidates, potential future out-licenses and collaborations, the
intellectual property position and the ability to procure
additional sources of financing. Accordingly, you should not rely
on those forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual
future results.
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SOURCE Benitec Biopharma Limited