CCR5 Mutant Gene Sequence Patented For AIDS Diagnosis

Euroscreen s.a., a world leader in G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), today announced the issue of a US patent in the area of HIV infection. The patent claims the important 'delta32 mutation of the CCR5 gene sequence, which encodes a non-functional version of the receptor present in people that display natural immunity to HIV infection.

BRUSSELS, Belgium (PRWEB) February 27, 2004 --- Euroscreen s.a., a world leader in G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), today announced the issue of a US patent in the area of HIV infection. The patent claims the important 'delta32 mutation of the CCR5 gene sequence, which encodes a non-functional version of the receptor present in people that display natural immunity to HIV infection.

US patent No.6,692,938 relates in particular to DNA sequence encoding delta 32 gene variant, vectors comprising the DNA sequence, cells comprising the vector and methods to produce the polypeptide encoded by the DNA sequence.

Euroscreen is awaiting the issuance of equivalent patent applications in Europe, Japan and Canada, whose pending claims relate to similar subject matter.

Commenting on the announcement, Dr Pierre Nokin, Euroscreen President and CEO said: We are very pleased to have been awarded of a second US patent in the field of CCR5 receptor and HIV. The strong resistance to HIV-1 infection that characterizes individuals homozygous for the delta32 gene variant has highlighted the key role played by CCR5 in HIV-1 pathogenesis. Since then, the CCR5 receptor has become a target of great importance in the hunt for drugs that can prevent HIV infection."

Dr Nokin continued: This patent award is a significant milestone in the development of Euroscreen, as it represents and justifies many years of outstanding work performed by Prof. Marc Parmentier (CSO of Euroscreen) and his scientific team. Euroscreen owns all intellectual property rights to the CCR5 receptor and its role in HIV infection, and research into preventing HIV infection is an important focus of the scientific and medical community."

The CCR5 receptor and its role in HIV infection
The CCR5 receptor belongs to a family of cell membrane proteins called G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Specifically, CCR5 is found on the surface of T cells (white blood cells), which form part of the human immune system. The protein consists of 352 amino acids and spans the T-cell membrane seven times.

Under normal circumstances, CCR5 binds certain small molecules known as chemokines, which act as chemical attractants recruiting immune cells to sites of inflammation. However, in the process of HIV infection, CCR5 acts as a crucial co-receptor, in addition to CD4 (the primary docking site of HIV), to allow HIV not just to bind to T cells but also to fuse with the cell membrane. Fusion of HIV to the T-cell membrane enables the viral genetic material to enter the cell and integrate with the hosts genome.

The initial involvement of a chemokine receptor in the process of HIV infection was suspected when certain chemokines were found to be potent suppressors of HIVs ability to infect cells. Following the identification of CCR5, it was discovered that a reason for the natural immunity of some people to HIV was a result of a 32 base-pair deletion in the CCR5 gene sequence, which resulted in the production of a non-functional CCR5 receptor. This CCR5 delta 32 is frequent in populations of European origin, and encodes a nonfunctional truncated protein that is not transported to the cell surface. Homozygotes for the delta 32 allele exhibit a strong, although incomplete, resistance to HIV infection, whereas heterozygotes display delayed progression to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

About Euroscreen SA
Euroscreen is a world leader in G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) science. The Company integrates its research expertise in this area with its patented high-throughput AequoScreen cellular assay platform to patent new GPCR targets and drug candidates

The Company is building its own patent portfolio of GPCR targets and novel drug leads for licensing to biopharmaceutical companies, and to date has agreements with Galapagos Genomics, ICOS, Merck & Co, Pfizer Inc, Solvay, Syngenta, UCB and Evotec OAI. Euroscreen has also established collaborations with academic centres, such as Brussels University, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, the University of Georgia Research Foundation and the University of Toronto, for access to its GPCR-based products (recombinant cell lines and membrane preparations) and services (custom screening and research services).

Euroscreen is a privately held company based in Brussels, Belgium. The Company was spun out of the University of Brussels in 1994 by Professors Jacques Dumont, Marc Parmentier and Gilbert Vassart and has since raised more than €8m in equity funding and grants. Euroscreen currently has 80 employees of which 50 are in R&D.

More information can be found at www.euroscreen.be
For further information, please contact:
Euroscreen SA                
Pierre Nokin, Ph.D.               
President and CEO                
Tel: +32 71 348 500               

Professor Marc Parmentier
CSO
Tel: +32 2 5554171

Al Gray, Ph.D.
Vice President, Business Development
Tel: +32 71 348 500