Exhibit 99.1
SANGAMO BIOSCIENCES ANNOUNCES PRESENTATION OF DATA FROM HIV PROGRAM AT 12TH
CONFERENCE ON RETROVIRUSES AND OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTIONS
RICHMOND, Calif., March 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sangamo BioSciences,
Inc. (Nasdaq: SGMO) today announced that data from their program to develop a
treatment for HIV infection was presented at the 12th Conference on Retroviruses
and Opportunistic Infections held in Boston last week. The data describe the use
of Sangamo's zinc finger DNA binding protein (ZFP) technology in primary human
CD4+ T-cells to successfully disrupt the gene encoding the CCR5 receptor, a
critical co-receptor for HIV entry into cells. The CCR5 gene was shown to be
disrupted in >1 % of transfected T-cells. Carl June, M.D., Director,
Translational Research at the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute and
Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine presented the work which was carried out in
collaboration with Sangamo scientists.
"This is an exciting and novel approach to HIV therapy and we are very
encouraged by these initial data," said Dr. June. "Several major pharmaceutical
companies are developing small molecule drugs to block HIV binding to CCR5
receptors on cells but we believe that using ZFNs to permanently disrupt the
gene will have certain advantages. The protocol requires that T-cells are only
briefly treated with ZFNs to achieve permanent correction and this therapeutic
could be used in conjunction with other therapies. Moreover, we do not believe
that this approach will put a selective pressure on the virus to mutate and
escape the therapy, a significant problem observed with small molecule-based
regimens." Dr. June has extensive research and clinical experience in T-cell
therapies for cancer and HIV and directs the Translational Research team at the
University of Pennsylvania whose role is to accelerate the progress of research
from the bench to the clinic.
Sangamo scientists have engineered zinc finger nucleases or ZFNs that can
be used to make targeted breaks in cellular DNA for therapeutic gene correction
or disruption. Sangamo, in collaboration with Dr. June, is developing ZFNs to
disrupt the CCR5 gene in T-cells to make the cells resistant to HIV infection in
order to provide HIV-infected individuals with a reservoir of healthy and
uninfectable T-cells. CCR5 is a well-studied cell surface receptor that serves
as a co-receptor for HIV entry into cells and is a well-validated target for HIV
treatment, in part because individuals with a natural disruption of their CCR5
gene have been shown to be resistant to HIV infection.
"Having shown that we can disrupt the CCR5 gene in our target cell
population we will go on to complete our testing of ZFN-modified T-cells in HIV
challenge assays both in vitro and in vivo," commented Dr. Dale Ando, Sangamo's
vice president of therapeutics and chief medical officer. "Our goal is to work
with Dr. June to move this potential therapy into the clinic expeditiously and
to file an IND by the end of 2005. We will also explore the possibility of
developing a similar ZFN Therapeutic approach to CD34 positive stem cells which
may provide a longer lasting therapy for a broader range of immune cells."
"The data presented at this meeting are the first ZFN mediated gene-
disruption data to be publicly presented from our program to develop a ZFP
Therapeutic for HIV infection," said Edward Lanphier, Sangamo's president and
CEO. "This program demonstrates the broad applicability and versatility of our
ZFP technology. We believe that it provides a novel approach to a significant
unmet medical need."
About Sangamo
Sangamo BioSciences, Inc is focused on the research and development of
novel DNA-binding proteins for therapeutic gene regulation and modification. The
most advanced ZFP Therapeutic development programs are currently in Phase I
clinical trials for evaluation of safety in patients with peripheral artery
disease and diabetic neuropathy. Other therapeutic development programs are
focused on ischemic heart disease, congestive heart failure, cancer, neuropathic
pain, and infectious and monogenic diseases. Sangamo's core competencies enable
the engineering of a class of DNA-binding proteins known as zinc finger
DNA-binding proteins (ZFPs). By engineering ZFPs that recognize a specific DNA
sequence Sangamo has created ZFP transcription factors (ZFP TFs) that can
control gene expression and, consequently, cell function. Sangamo is also
developing sequence-specific ZFP Nucleases (ZFNs) for therapeutic gene
modification as a treatment and possible cure for a variety of monogenic
diseases such as sickle cell anemia and for infectious diseases such as HIV. For
more information about Sangamo, visit the company's web site at www.sangamo.com
or www.expressinglife.com
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding Sangamo's
current expectations. These statements are not guarantees of future performance
and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are
difficult to predict. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include
the early stage of ZFP Therapeutic development, uncertainties related to the
timing of initiation and completion of clinical trials, and whether clinical
trial results will validate and support the safety and efficacy of ZFP
Therapeutics. Further, there can be no assurance that the necessary regulatory
approvals will be obtained or that Sangamo will be able to develop commercially
viable gene based therapeutics. Actual results may differ from those projected
in forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties that exist in the
company's operations and business environments. These risks and uncertainties
are described more fully in the company's' Annual Reports on Form 10-K and
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q as filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made
as of this date and will not be updated.
SOURCE Sangamo BioSciences, Inc.
-0- 03/01/2005
/CONTACT: Elizabeth Wolffe, Ph.D. of Sangamo BioSciences, Inc.,
+1-510-970-6000, ext. 271, or ewolffe@sangamo.com; or media, Kathy Nugent,
+1-212-213-0006, or investors, John Cummings, +1-415-352-6262, both of Burns
McClellan, Inc., for Sangamo BioSciences, Inc./
/Web site: http://www.sangamo.com /
(SGMO)