Houston, TX, (October 26, 2004) Cytogenix, Inc. (CYGX: OTC: BB)
CytoGenix, Inc. (CYGX: OTC: BB) announces the results of a pre-clinical proof-of-concept study demonstrating that its antimicrobial compound CY401 is active against Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA). This laboratory study demonstrated that CytoGenix CY401 inhibits growth of VRSA, bacteria that are resistant to approved doses of all antibiotic products.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) reports "In bacteria, antibiotic resistance evolves by mutations in their genes, by rearrangement of their genes, or by acquiring genes that provide antibiotic resistance from other bacteria. The strains of Staphylococcus aureus (SA) bacteria that have intermediate resistance to Vancomycin appear to be the result of mutations in their genes. However, scientists are concerned that SA might also acquire genes for full Vancomycin resistance from other bacteria, specifically, Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE).
As more and more strains of disease-causing bacteria become resistant to commonly used antibiotics, physicians must switch to other, often more expensive drugs. For example, switching from the penicillin to methicillin in the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus (SA) infections increased treatment costs about 10-fold.
It is difficult to assess the overall cost of antibiotic resistance. A report from the Government Accounting Office indicates that no federal agency adequately monitors antibiotic resistance or evaluates its social and financial costs. One estimate, however, places the annual cost of antibiotic resistance as high as $5 billion per year."
Dr. Malcolm Skolnick, CytoGenix President and CEO commented, "We believe that the CY401 compound is highly effective against a wide range of human pathogenic bacteria strains including the most resistant. Results achieved to date support this premise. Planned additional experiments will further demonstrate that this compound effectively addresses a significant unmet medical need."
"An important feature of CY401 is that it was designed to target genes that are absolutely essential to the existence of most bacteria. For this reason, the bacteria cannot become resistant by mutating this gene because any change will result in its death," adds, Dr. Skolnick.
CytoGenix, Inc. is a Houston-based biopharmaceutical company that develops and markets innovative products and services based on its proprietary ssDNA expression technology. CytoGenix currently has one issued US patent and 37 international or US pending patent applications claiming methods and materials in connection with this platform technology.
SAFE HARBOR: Except for statements of historical fact, the statements in this press release are forward-looking. Such statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. These factors include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions, risks associated with the acceptance of new products, competition, and other factors more fully detailed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Additional information about CytoGenix and its technology can be found on the website at www.cytogenix.com.
Contact: Communications Director — Juan Ferreira, (407) 774-9949
