X-Message-Number: 12833 From: "John de Rivaz" <> Subject: Alexion Pharmaceuticals - web site with interesting projects Date: Wed, 24 Nov 1999 17:23:11 -0000 Alexion Pharmaceuticals have put up a "test card" for their web site which hopefully will be starting soon. It can be reached from http://geocities.yahoo.com/longevityrpt/shares.htm The company have been working on a number of interesting projects including Alexion Provides Step Forward for Neuro Patients Cells from genetically altered pigs have allowed rats to recover from spinal cord injuries and may eventually offer hope to thousands of paralysed people around the world, researchers said. Researchers from Yale University School of Medicine and ALEXION PHARMACEUTICALS INC said the genetically altered pig cells restored normal nerve signal conduction in rats whose spinal cords had been severed. Researchers said they have already begun testing the method on monkeys with positive results. Alexion hopes to make a decision on whether to seek regulatory permission to start testing in humans in 1999 but said it was too early to say whether the technique would be effective. and A Humanised Monoclonal Antibody to Treat Patients Suffering Rheumatoid Arthritis ALEXION PHARMACEUTICALS INC. said it filed an investigational new drug (IND) application with the FDA, asking permission to start clinical trials of its anti-arthritis drug Alexion's C5 complement inhibitor, 5G1.1, is a humanised monoclonal antibody to treat patients suffering rheumatoid arthritis. Preclinical studies showed the C5 inhibitor substantially prevented the incidence of arthritis and ameliorated inflammation and swelling in patients already suffering arthritis, the company said.. and Ischemia damaged limited by Alexion product Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s C5 Inhibitor blocks heart muscle damage associated with heart attacks, a paper to be published in the Journal of the American Heart Association will report, the company said. In particular, C5 Inhibitor reduced the death of heart muscle cells, cell self-destruction and inflammatory tissue damage during myocardial Ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) in an animal heart-attack model, according to a report to appear in the AHA's journal Circulation. Myocardial ischemia causes heart muscle damage in patients during heart attack, angioplasty and cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. and Pigs Grown with Human Genes At a top-secret farm hidden in the Northeast, scientists are growing pigs whose DNA has been altered with human genes. It sounds like the stuff of science fiction, yet officials at Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. say they are close to figuring out how these pigs can figure in the treatment of human organ failures, spinal cord injuries and illnesses such as Parkinson's disease. The idea of transplanting animal parts to humans, called xenotransplantation, isn't new. But, until recently, nobody knew how to keep the human body from rejecting the organs. -- Sincerely, John de Rivaz my homepage links to Longevity Report, Fractal Report, my singles club for people in Cornwall, music, Inventors' report, an autobio and various other projects: http://geocities.yahoo.com/longevityrpt Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=12833