Protein Polymer Technologies Announces Grant of Patents Covering Tissue
Adhesive Applications and Core Technology
With Seven U.S. Patents Issued in 1998, PPTI Achieves Comprehensive Proprietary
Position
SAN DIEGO, Oct. 22, 1998 -- Protein Polymer Technologies,Inc.
(PPTI), today announced the grant of patents by the United States Patent
and Trademark Office further solidifying protection of the Company's core
technology, and its use in tissue adhesives and sealants for tissue repair.
PPTI has been issued a total of seven U.S. Patents in 1998, and has received
notice of an eighth U.S. Patent to be issued in November. PPTI's broad,
multi-layered proprietary position affords the Company far-reaching control
over the field of protein engineering with respect to protein compositions
based on repetitive units of amino acids, their synthesis, and methods for
their use.
"Recombinant protein engineering is at the forefront
of biomaterials commercial development, and we are proud of having established
ourselves as leaders in this field," said PPTI's President and Chief Executive
Officer, J. Thomas Parmeter. "These patents are a significant accomplishment
and provide meaningful recognition of the pioneering achievements of our
scientists while also providing the Company and its shareholders with invaluable
assets as we move our products through clinical trials and out into the
marketplace."
PPTI is developing novel products for medical and surgical
use based on its proprietary biomaterials technology platform. Tissue adhesives
and sealants are one of the Company's targeted areas of development. On
October 6, 1998, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued Patent
No. 5,817,303 entitled "Bonding Together Tissue with Adhesive Containing
Polyfunctional Cross-linking Agent and Protein Polymer". This patent
covers methods to hold separated tissue together and to seal defects in
viable tissue using a special class of protein polymers engineered by PPTI
scientists in combination with a chemical cross-linking agent. Selected
compositions, based on the Company's patented silk-elastin polymers, have
demonstrated biocompatibility, exceptional strength and flexibility, and
the ability to be resorbed by the body over a specified amount of time.
The Company intends to develop products using these compositions for applications
inside the body where sutures and staples do not provide for adequate tissue
repair. To date, no tissue adhesive has been approved for internal
use in the United States.
Although compositions using chemical cross-linking agents
are the focus of PPTI's current tissue adhesive product development efforts,
U.S. Patent No. 5,773,577,
issued on July 30, 1998, entitled "Products Comprising Substrates Capable
of Enzymatic Cross-Linking" covers technology the Company has developed
using enzymatic cross-linking agents. A separate class of recombinant
proteins have been developed that are cross-linked with blood-clotting enzymes
found in the body, such as Factor XIII used in the preparation of fibrin
sealant products currently marketed by other companies. PPTI's formulation
stands apart from fibrin sealants in that the adhesive matrix is not blood
derived, and has demonstrated both higher strength and a faster cure rate.
The Company's core technology is at the center of its
proprietary position. On June 23, 1998, PPTI was granted U.S.
Patent No. 5,770,697 entitled "Peptides Comprising Repetitive Units
of Amino Acids and DNA
Sequences Encoding the Same". This patent, combined with methods patents
previously issued for preparing synthetic repetitive DNA, gives PPTI exclusive
rights to a broad range of protein compositions incorporating amino acid
sequences found to be repeated in natural proteins. In addition, in
a separate action, the Company has received notice that U.S. Patent No.
5,830,713 will be issued in early November. This patent covers second
generation methods developed by the Company for recombinantly producing
proteins with repetitive amino acid sequences. It's issuance will
further extend PPTI's proprietary technology umbrella beyond the protein
compositions already patented.
"The proteins we have created are proving to have unique
and useful properties and to be very biocompatible," said Dr. Joe Cappello,
PPTI's Chief Technical Officer. "We take a natural protein and extract
from it a specific property that we want to reproduce -- like the sequence
in silk that makes it strong and the sequence in elastin that makes it flexible
-- and we replicate it, tailoring the design of our proteins, and subsequently
the finished product, to desired specifications. Holding these patents
gives PPTI the right to exclude others from practicing the technology."
The other patents issued since March represent broad
applications for PPTI's technology. U.S.
Patents No. 5,723,588 and No.
5,808,012 cover traditional thermoplastics having biological and chemical
functionality through the incorporation of thermally stable proteins.
U.S. Patent No. 5,760,004
protects chemistries developed to modify the solution properties of silk-like
polymers for improved processibility, and U.S.
Patent No. 5,773,249 protects a broad class of collagen-like polymers.
To date, PPTI's U.S. Patent estate includes thirteen
patents, with one more expected to issue in November, and nine patents pending.
Patents are also pending in important foreign countries. More detailed
information can be obtained through PPTI's website (http://www.ppti.com)
which has been designed to provide interested parties with timely, comprehensive
information.
Protein Polymer Technologies, Inc., is a San Diego-based
company focused on developing products to improve medical and surgical outcomes.
From its inception in 1988, PPTI has been a pioneer in protein design and
synthesis, developing an extensive portfolio of proprietary biomaterials.
These genetically engineered biomaterials are high molecular weight proteins,
processed into products with physical and biological characteristics tailored
to specific clinical performance requirements. Targeted products include
urethral bulking agents for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence,
dermal augmentation products for cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, tissue
adhesives and sealants, scaffolds for wound healing and tissue engineering,
and depots for local drug delivery.
