Exhibit 99.1
Sangamo BioSciences, Inc.
Point Richmond Tech Center
501 Canal Boulevard
Richmond, CA 94804
510-970-6000 o 510-236-8951(Fax)
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SANGAMO BIOSCIENCES AND JDRF ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP FOR ZFP
THERAPEUTIC FOR DIABETIC NEUROPATHY PROGRAM
New York and Richmond, Calif., October 26, 2006 - Sangamo BioSciences, Inc.
(Nasdaq: SGMO) announced today that it has established a partnership with the
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) to provide financial support of
Sangamo's Phase 2 human clinical studies of SB-509, a ZFP Therapeutic that is in
development for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy (DN).
JDRF, the major charitable funding organization of research leading to a cure
for type 1 diabetes and its complications, will provide up to $3 million toward
the Phase 2 clinical trial based upon the achievement of certain milestones. The
funding will enable Sangamo to accelerate development of its ZFP Therapeutic for
the treatment of DN and conduct additional clinical tests that may provide
important information related to the mechanistic basis for therapeutic efficacy.
"This partnership provides an opportunity to accelerate the progress of a
potential treatment for a significant unmet medical need in diabetes," said Dr.
Richard A. Insel, M.D., Executive Vice President for Research at JDRF.
"Currently, more than fifty percent of patients with diabetes for ten years or
longer will experience diabetic neuropathy and the treatments currently
available are drugs that only address neuropathy-associated pain. Sangamo's
novel approach to DN has the potential to modify the disease at a more
fundamental level by modulating neuroprotective and neurotropic pathways."
"We are very pleased to have the confidence and support of JDRF as we advance
the clinical development of SB-509," said Edward Lanphier, Sangamo's President
and CEO. "This agreement demonstrates JDRF's commitment to ground-breaking
clinical research and to the development of novel therapeutics that can
potentially have an important impact on the quality of life for people with
diabetes." He added: "We believe that SB-509 represents a new therapeutic
approach for diabetic neuropathy, designed to directly protect and restore nerve
function, in contrast to the current standard of care designed to address only
the pain associated with this condition. Sangamo's ZFP technology provides a
unique approach designed to upregulate vascular endothelial growth factor or
VEGF, a factor that has been shown to have direct neuroprotective and
neurotrophic effects. The goal is to preserve and possibly restore nerve health.
The data collected from these Phase 2 studies will help establish the foundation
and mechanism of our ZFP technology as a novel class of therapeutics."
JDRF funds diabetes research across a range of scientific areas, including beta
cell regeneration, immunology, islet cell replacement, complications, genetics,
and technological innovations and therapeutics. The agreement with Sangamo is a
part of JDRF's innovative Industry Discovery and Development Partnership
program, through which JDRF partners with pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical
device businesses looking to develop drugs, treatments, technologies, and other
therapeutics leading to a cure, reversal, or prevention of type 1 diabetes and
its complications.
ABOUT THE SB-509 CLINICAL PROGRAM
Sangamo has completed a Phase 1a dose-escalation study and has an ongoing Phase
1b study of SB-509 in subjects with mild to moderate diabetic neuropathy. Later
this year, the company intends to initiate a double-blind placebo-controlled,
multi-treatment Phase 2 study in diabetics with mild to moderate sensory/motor
neuropathy. Safety will be monitored throughout the study. Clinical evaluations
will include evaluation of pain intensity, TNS, neurological examination and
electrophysiological testing as well as assessment of changes in nerve integrity
by examining changes in the density of nerve fibers in the skin using punch
biopsies.
ABOUT SB-509
SB-509 is administered as an injectable formulation of plasmid DNA that encodes
a zinc finger protein transcription factor, designed to upregulate the VEGF-A
gene. VEGF-A has been demonstrated to have direct neurotrophic and
neuroprotective properties.
ABOUT DIABETIC NEUROPATHY
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is one of the most frequent complications of
diabetes. Symptoms include numbness, tingling sensations and pain particularly
in the toes or feet. This gradually evolves to loss of sensation and motor
function as nerve damage progresses. Ulcers and sores may appear on numb areas
of the foot because pressure or injury goes unnoticed. Despite treatment, these
areas of trauma frequently become infected and this infection may spread to the
bone, necessitating amputation of the leg or foot. More than 60 percent of
non-traumatic lower-limb amputations in the United States occur among people
with diabetes. In the period from 2000 to 2001, this translated to approximately
82,000 amputations. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the incidence
of diabetes in the United States is growing rapidly. From 1980 through 2002, the
number of Americans with diabetes more than doubled.
ABOUT JDRF
JDRF was founded in 1970 by the parents of children with juvenile diabetes--a
disease that strikes children suddenly, makes them insulin dependent for life,
and carries the constant threat of devastating complications. Since inception,
JDRF has provided more than $1 billion to diabetes research worldwide. More than
80 percent of JDRF's expenditures directly support research and education about
research. JDRF's mission is constant: to find a cure for diabetes and its
complications through the support of research.
ABOUT SANGAMO BIOSCIENCES, INC.
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 TherapeuticTM development programs are currently in Phase 1
clinical trials for evaluation of safety in patients with diabetic neuropathy
and peripheral artery disease. Other therapeutic development programs are
focused on ischemic heart disease, neuropathic pain, cancer 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 TFTM) that can control gene expression and,
consequently, cell function. Sangamo is also developing sequence-specific ZFP
Nucleases (ZFNTM) for therapeutic gene modification as a treatment for a variety
of monogenic diseases, such as X-linked SCID and hemophilia, and for infectious
diseases, such as HIV. Sangamo has established several Enabling Technology
Agreements with companies to apply its ZFP Technology to enhance the production
of protein pharmaceuticals. For more information about Sangamo, visit the
company's web site at www.sangamo.com.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on Sangamo's
current expectations. These forward-looking statements include, without
limitation, references to the clinical trials of SB-509, funding obligations of
JDRF based on milestones achieved by Sangamo, research and development of novel
ZFP TFs and ZFNs and therapeutic applications of Sangamo's ZFP technology
platform. Actual results may differ materially from these forward-looking
statements due to a number of factors, including uncertainties relating to the
initiation, ability to achieve milestones and completion of stages of the SB-509
clinical trial, whether the SB-509 clinical trial will validate and support
tolerability and efficacy of SB-509, technological challenges, Sangamo's ability
to develop commercially viable products and technological developments by our
competitors. See the company's SEC filings, and in particular, the risk factors
described in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and its most recent 10-Q.
Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking
information contained in this press release.
Contact
JDRF
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Eileen Brangan Mell
(212) 479-7577
ebrangan@jdrf.org
Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. Burns McClellan, Inc.
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Elizabeth Wolffe, Ph.D. Justin Jackson (media)
510-970-6000, x271 212-213-0006
ewolffe@sangamo.com jjackson@burnsmc.com
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