Sorrento Therapeutics Announces Antibody Discovery and Development Alliance for the Prevention and Treatment of MRSA Infections
January 11 2010 - 8:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
SAN DIEGO, Jan. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (OTC
Bulletin Board: SRNE) today announced an antibody discovery and
development collaboration with The Scripps Research Institute, La
Jolla, CA. Under the terms of the agreement, Sorrento Therapeutics
obtains an exclusive, worldwide license to the Institute's novel
technology, based on quorum sensing, for the prevention and
treatment of Staphylococcus aureus ('Staph') infections, including
Methicillin-resistant Staph. aureus (MRSA). Sorrento Therapeutics
will utilize its proprietary antibody library technology to
identify fully human antibodies for the neutralization of
Staph-specific signaling peptides that control bacterial virulence.
A research group at the Institute, led by Drs. Kim Janda and Gunnar
Kaufmann, has shown that sequestering of these signaling peptides,
which are integral components of a bacterial communication process
called quorum sensing, results in significantly reduced virulence
of MRSA in both cellular and animal models. The Staph signaling
peptide analogs described by Scripps Research represent a unique
opportunity to develop both, vaccines and antibody-based
immunotherapeutics, to combat MRSA. "We are impressed by the
promising animal data presented by our colleagues at Scripps
Research and are pleased to collaborate on the development of human
vaccines and fully human antibody therapeutics to help address the
important public health issue of MRSA infections," stated Dr. Henry
Ji, Chief Scientific Officer of Sorrento Therapeutics. "This
discovery program represents a novel approach to fighting MRSA, and
we also see interference with quorum sensing as a more general
approach to address the serious issue of antibiotic resistance
beyond MRSA." MRSA infections are a growing healthcare concern,
particularly as resistance to antibiotics, such as vancomycin,
becomes more widespread. In the United States alone, 2.5 million
individuals are MRSA carriers (1) and the CDC estimates that in the
U.S. 94,000 cases of acute, generalized MRSA infections resulted in
19,000 deaths in 2005. Using Scripps Research's quorum
sensing-based technology, Sorrento Therapeutics will seek to
identify fully human antibody candidates that disrupt the
biological communication processes of MRSA. "We have published that
antibodies targeting the quorum sensing process are protective
against MRSA infections in established animal models," said Dr. Kim
Janda of Scripps Research. "Sorrento Therapeutics' human antibody
library will be a critical resource in identifying fully human
antibodies that can be developed into clinical therapeutics against
MRSA." About The Scripps Research Institute's Quorum Sensing
Technology Quorum sensing entails a process whereby bacteria, such
as MRSA, secrete species-specific signaling peptides, which, once a
critical concentration is reached, induce the activation of
biological pathways employed by the respective bacteria, including
ones involved in virulence. Using animal models and potentially
lethal MRSA infections, researchers at TSRI have shown marked
increases in survival by neutralizing these signaling peptides
through immunotherapies using either monoclonal antibodies or
vaccines (2). About The Scripps Research Institute The Scripps
Research Institute is one of the world's largest independent,
non-profit biomedical research organizations, at the forefront of
basic biomedical science that seeks to comprehend the most
fundamental processes of life. Scripps Research is internationally
recognized for its discoveries in immunology, molecular and
cellular biology, chemistry, neurosciences, autoimmune,
cardiovascular, and infectious diseases, and synthetic vaccine
development. Established in its current configuration in 1961, it
employs approximately 3,000 scientists, postdoctoral fellows,
scientific and other technicians, doctoral degree graduate
students, and administrative and technical support personnel.
Scripps Research is headquartered in La Jolla, California. It also
includes Scripps Florida, whose researchers focus on basic
biomedical science, drug discovery, and technology development.
Scripps Florida is located in Jupiter, Florida. About Sorrento
Therapeutics Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. is a development-stage
biopharmaceutical company focused on applying its proprietary
technology platform for the discovery and development of human
therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of a variety of disease
conditions, including cancer, inflammation, metabolic disease and
infectious disease. Forward-Looking Statements This press release
contains forward-looking statements subject to risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those projected. Forward-looking statements include statements
about the license agreement with TSRI, MRSA and Sorrento's
potential development of human vaccines and an antibody library.
Risks and uncertainties include whether Sorrento will have
sufficient resources to develop vaccines and an antibody library,
whether Sorrento will achieve its goals through the license
agreement, the term of the license, Sorrento's ability to
collaborate with TSRI and its researchers in the future, whether
Sorrento will seek or gain approval to market any product
candidates, and additional risks set forth in Sorrento's filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking
statements represent Sorrento's judgment as of the date of this
release. Sorrento disclaims, however, any intent or obligation to
update these forward-looking statements. References 1. Graham P,
Lin S, Larson E (2006). "A U.S. population-based survey of
Staphylococcus aureus colonization". Ann Intern Med 144 (5):
318-25. 2. Park J, Janda K, et al. (2007). "Infection Control by
Antibody Disruption of Bacterial Quorum Sensing Signaling". Chem
& Biol 14, 1119 - 1127. DATASOURCE: Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.
CONTACT: Antonius Schuh, Ph.D., Chairman & Chief Executive
Officer of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc., +1-858-210-3703, Web Site:
http://www.sorrentotherapeutics.com/
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