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The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Anjin Group Announce Multi-Year Collaborative Research Agreement

Posted on: Wednesday, 16 April 2008, 09:01 CDT

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., April 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and Anjin Group, Inc. today jointly announced the execution of a three-year collaborative research arrangement funded through LLS's Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP).

The arrangement provides for $2.9 million to accelerate the development of a fusion toxin protein for the treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Continued funding will be contingent on meeting certain milestones during the course of the partnership. This partnership marks the first drug development alliance announced under TAP, an innovative program intended to advance therapies with high prospects of providing near-term benefit to patients suffering from blood cancers.

"As a company dedicated to rapid development of a drug class with significant potential for the treatment of blood cancers and a number of other severe disorders, Anjin Group is very pleased to have the sponsorship of LLS," said Bill Harrison, Chief Executive Officer of Anjin Group. "This is a significant collaboration for us, and we hope to repay LLS through the development and commercialization of therapies capable of treating a variety of blood cancers."

Louis J. DeGennaro, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of LLS, added, "Our partnership with Anjin Group, the largest announced to date under LLS's Therapy Acceleration Program, is the result of a detailed, year-long selection process. By dedicating a portion of LLS's research funding to a select group of highly motivated, well positioned commercial organizations, coupled with active engagement, development services and clearly crafted milestones, we hope to assist those organizations in speeding effective therapies to our patients. As a results-oriented, patient-focused company with a genuine interest in hematological cancers, Anjin Group aligns very well with the goals of TAP and we look forward to working with them."

About Anjin Group

Anjin Group, with operations in Maryland and Massachusetts, is a biotechnology company developing a broad-based therapeutic platform for blood cancers, brain cancer and other diseases based on the fusion of a modified form of diphtheria toxin to proteins capable of selectively targeting cancerous and diseased cells. The Company's technology can be deployed with a variety of cell surface receptors which are preferentially expressed on certain cell types in order to develop therapies with greater specificity and fewer side effects than existing drugs. For more information, see http://www.anjingroup.com/.

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society(R), headquartered in White Plains, NY, with 68 chapters in the United States and Canada, is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, LLS has invested more than $550 million in research specifically targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Last year alone, LLS made 5.1 million contacts with patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals.

For more information about blood cancer, visit http://www.lls.org/ or call the LLS Information Resource Center (IRC), a call center staffed by master's level social workers, nurses and health educators who provide information, support and resources to patients and their families and caregivers. IRC information specialists are available at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

Contact: Andrea Greif 914.821.8958 andrea.greif@lls.org

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

CONTACT: Andrea Greif, +1-914-821-8958, andrea.greif@lls.org

Web site: http://www.lls.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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