Data Shows Successful Imaging of Glowing Pancreatic Tumors in Mice
ALAMEDA, Calif., April 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Xenogen Corporation
(Nasdaq: XGEN) announced today that researchers have successfully imaged the
spontaneous development of bioluminescent tumors in the pancreas and bladder
of mice using the company's proprietary optical imaging technologies. Xenogen
will present these findings at the American Association for Cancer Research
(AACR) 97th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., on April 4. Xenogen believes
these findings further validate the powerful role of Xenogen's IVIS(R) in vivo
optical imaging systems, tumor cell lines and transgenic mouse models in
cancer research.
According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 32,300 people will
die of pancreatic cancer in 2006, making it the fourth leading cause of cancer
death overall in the United States. Pancreatic cancer is common, extremely
difficult to treat and, therefore, has a very poor prognosis. Only 24 percent
of patients with cancer of the exocrine pancreas will live one year past their
diagnosis, and only 5 percent will live five years after diagnosis.
"There is a pressing need to develop better treatments for pancreatic
cancer because of its clinical challenges and poor prognosis," said Scott K.
Lyons, Ph.D., senior scientist, oncology, Xenogen Corporation. "Our findings
may make it easier and more cost efficient for researchers to develop
effective treatments for pancreatic cancer."
In past pre-clinical drug development studies, these types of transgenic
pancreatic tumor models have been difficult to work with since the exact
timing for tumor progression was estimated based on the age of the animal.
Consequently, researchers have had difficulty knowing when to initiate
treatment, how to best schedule treatment, or if the treatment was having an
effect prior to the conclusion of the study.
Aided by Xenogen's IVIS imaging systems, researchers can use these
transgenic mice to non-invasively assess the spread and growth of the tumors
in the pancreas in real-time. This provides researchers with additional
insight into the how the tumors spread and grow. It can also tell them how
effective a potential drug or treatment may be and what potential side effects
are associated with specific targets.
Xenogen scientists as well as other researchers have previously
demonstrated the value of non-invasive in vivo bioluminescence imaging for
drug development, using a wide variety of other tumor model systems. As
demonstrated in data being presented at the AACR meeting, researchers have
successfully imaged the spontaneous development of tumors in the pancreas and
bladder of mice using Xenogen's animal models and IVIS imaging system.
To date, Xenogen has produced more than 8,000 unique transgenic mice and
rats from more than 2,500 transgene constructs. More than 97 percent of all
gene constructs have successfully produced transgenic mice and rats, or gene
knockout lines. In sum, Xenogen offers the biomedical community an integrated
array of genetically-modified animal creation and optical imaging
capabilities.
This poster (#3456), will be presented in a session entitled Tumor Biology
#23 on Tuesday, April 4 at 8:00 a.m. ET in the exhibit hall and will be
published in the 2006 Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer
Research. Copies of the abstract #3465 will be available at the Xenogen booth
# 2208-2210.
About Xenogen Corporation
Xenogen Corporation is a leading biotechnology company offering an
integrated suite of optical real-time in vivo imaging and genetic modification
technologies that can help expedite drug discovery and development and
significantly reduce the cost and time to market for new therapies. Xenogen's
VivoVision(TM) Systems non-invasively illuminate and monitor biological
processes within living mammals, at the molecular level, in real time. The
technology provides higher quality in vivo data earlier in the drug discovery
and development process. VivoVision(TM) Solutions improve discovery and
pre-clinical research in multiple therapeutic areas. VivoVision(TM)
Biosciences represents more than 15 years of experience in the creation and
characterization of animal models, including genetic modifications,
comprehensive phenotyping, compound profiling and custom design and production
of light producing cells, microorganisms and animals.
NOTE: More information is available at http://www.xenogen.com. Xenogen(R),
Living Image(R), Lumina(TM), VivoVision(TM) and IVIS(R) are trademarks of
Xenogen Corporation.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the
performance, adoption, intended uses and benefits of Xenogen's imaging
products and technologies. These forward-looking statements are based on
Xenogen's current expectations, estimates and assumptions and are subject to
many risks, uncertainties and unknown future events that could cause actual
results to differ materially. Actual performance, adoption, intended uses and
benefits of Xenogen's imaging products and technologies may differ materially
from those set forth in this release due to the risks and uncertainties
inherent in Xenogen's business, including, without limitation: use and
acceptance of Xenogen's products and technologies by pharmaceutical,
biotechnology, biomedical and chemical companies; Xenogen's ability to
continue to deliver its products on a timely basis; Xenogen's ability to
enforce its intellectual property rights or operate without infringing or
misappropriating the proprietary rights of others; products, services or
technologies introduced by competing companies; and other risk factors set
forth in Xenogen's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For a
discussion of these and other factors that could impact the performance,
adoption, intended uses and benefits of Xenogen's imaging products and
technologies and cause them to differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements, please refer to Xenogen's recent filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent annual report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005 filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission on March 24, 2006. Xenogen is under no obligation to (and
specifically disclaims any such obligation to) update or alter its
forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise.
SOURCE Xenogen Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.xenogen.com
CONTACT:
investors, William A. Albright of Xenogen
Corporation, +1-510-291-6100; or media, Kelly McKenna of Manning
Selvage & Lee, +1-415-254-6239, or Kelly.mckenna@mslpr.com, for
Xenogen Corporation
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