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Jennerex Therapeutic Research Collaboration With Ottawa Hospital Research Institute Selected for $10 Million Grant From Ontario Institute for Cancer Research

Posted on: Thursday, 11 June 2009, 14:30 CDT

SAN FRANCISCO, June 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Jennerex, Inc. (San Francisco, CA and Ottawa, Canada), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced today that a $10 million grant from the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) has been received by the Centre for Cancer Therapeutics at Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI). A large portion of this grant will fund research and development in the lab of Dr. John Bell, Jennerex's chief collaborator for the discovery and development of oncolytic viral therapeutics for cancer patients. Funding will support the translation of discoveries into medical products with the potential to prolong the lives of cancer patients. The grant, which provides $10 million (CAD) over four years, will fund the research and development of novel therapeutics including the development of Jennerex's oncolytic viral therapy products. Jennerex products have shown tumor destruction and safety in Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials.

"We are very pleased that Dr. Bell and Jennerex's oncolytic virus technologies have been given this vote of confidence by the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. This funding will bolster the translation of Dr. Bell's promising research into important cancer therapeutics," stated David H. Kirn, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Jennerex. "We believe that there is significant potential in Ontario for medical innovation and development, and we value our partnerships in Ontario a great deal."

"This collaboration has been a great example of academia and industry working together to translate biological research into cutting edge therapies quickly and effectively," said Dr. John Bell, Senior Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Professor of Medicine at the University of Ottawa.

Jennerex is conducting Phase 2 clinical trials for several types of cancer in Ontario, Canada. In addition, the company has a strong and collaborative relationship with world class investigators at OHRI. Jennerex oncolytic virus products are being manufactured in the "Mulcahy Manufacturing Unit" at OHRI, Ontario's first GMP facility dedicated to oncolytic virus production. Some of these development costs will be covered by the OICR grant. Some of the translational research funding will help support R&D, including human trials on Jennerex clinical candidates JX-594 and JX-929.

About the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR)

The OICR is dedicated to research in prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Institute is an independent, not-for-profit corporation funded by the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Research and Innovation.

About the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) is the research arm of The Ottawa Hospital and is an affiliated institute of the University of Ottawa, closely associated with the University's Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences. The OHRI includes more than 1,300 scientists, clinical investigators, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and staff conducting research to improve the understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human disease. www.ohri.ca

About Jennerex

Jennerex is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of first-in-class, breakthrough targeted oncolytic products for cancer. The company's lead product JX-594, currently in an international Phase 2 trial for primary liver cancer, demonstrated promising Phase 1 efficacy and safety results in patients with a diverse array of common large market cancers. Jennerex's products target, attack and eradicate cancers through a novel and potent oncolytic mechanism that is dependent on highly-specific replication of the company's poxviruses in cancer cells. These products simultaneously stimulate the body's immune response to the cancer. Of note, this mechanism of action and the results in patients to date put the company's product class in a leadership position. Jennerex Biotherapeutics was established in San Francisco and in Ottawa in 2006 with Dr. David Kirn (CEO) in San Francisco and Dr. John Bell (CSO) from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute/University of Ottawa. For more information about Jennerex and the company's robust pipeline and three clinical-stage products, please visit www.jennerex.com.

SOURCE Jennerex, Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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