IRVING, Texas, May 16, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Carrington Laboratories, Inc. (OTCBB:CARN) today announced its wholly-owned subsidiary, DelSite Biotechnologies, Inc., has extended its Commercial Evaluation License from NIH (National Institutes of Health) for evaluating a novel synthetic typhoid polysaccharide vaccine technology with DelSite's proprietary high-molecular-weight ionic polysaccharide, GelSite(r) polymer. DelSite Biotechnologies, Inc. is developing and commercializing GelSite polymer as a controlled-release drug delivery technology for protein/peptide therapeutics and vaccine products. This synthetic typhoid vaccine represents a unique and important application of the GelSite polymer.
Typhoid fever is a life-threatening illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi. An estimated 16 to 33 million cases occur worldwide each year, and 500,000 to 700,000 deaths are attributed annually to typhoid fever. Antibiotic-resistant Salmonella typhi has been found in many parts of the world, limiting the effectiveness of antibiotics in treating typhoid fever. Thus, the development of new and improved vaccines against the Salmonella typhi is urgently needed.
In connection with this, at least two major programs to develop vaccines against Salmonella enterica serovar typhi (S.typhi) are underway, one by The International Vaccine Institute with $40 million funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the other by an international pharmaceutical company with significant vaccine assets.
GelSite polymer is a novel high-molecular-weight ionic polysaccharide currently manufactured under GMP at a kilogram scale by DelSite Biotechnologies, Inc. It can be chemically modified by a simple process into a new chemical entity -- typhoid fever vaccine antigen. This synthetic vaccine antigen could significantly increase vaccine production and could make the final vaccine product more cost-effective and affordable as compared to current licensed typhoid vaccines that are made using hazardous bacteria fermentation and that require multiple purification steps.
In addition, one of the greatest safety risks with polysaccharide vaccines produced from gram-negative bacteria like Salmonella typhi is the contamination of endotoxin, which is the normal and abundant cell wall component of these bacteria. DelSite's synthetic typhoid vaccine will likely be safer as it contains no endotoxin.
Dr. Yawei Ni, Chief Scientific Officer at DelSite Biotechnologies, stated, "The distinct chemical and physical properties of GelSite polymer make it particularly well suited for this application. The extension of this license agreement reflects the significant progress we have made in the past year in collaboration with NIH, and allows us to continue the development of this synthetic typhoid vaccine. We are very excited about this project that may, potentially, greatly improve vaccines against typhoid fever, an infectious disease of very significant public health impact. Within weeks, we anticipate we will be in a position to share our data with organizations interested in worldwide delivery of typhoid vaccines produced without using non-virulent live bacteria or a fermentation process."
About DelSite
Carrington's wholly-owned subsidiary DelSite Biotechnologies, Inc., is developing its proprietary GelSite(r) technology designed to provide controlled release of peptide and protein-based drugs and vaccines. DelSite is currently developing a nasal powder vaccine using its GelVac(tm) formula with the H5N1 avian flu antigen. This work is partially funded by two grants from NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) of NIH (National Institutes of Health) under the Department of Health and Human Services.
About Carrington
Carrington Laboratories, Inc. is an ISO 9001-certified, research-based, biopharmaceutical company currently utilizing naturally-occurring complex carbohydrates technology at its DelSite Biotechnologies subsidiary to develop its proprietary GelSite(r) technology designed for controlled release of peptide and protein-based drugs. Carrington's technology is protected by more than 130 patents in 26 countries. Manufacturing operations comply with cGMP standards. For more information, visit www.carringtonlabs.com.
Certain statements in this release concerning Carrington may be forward-looking. Actual events will be dependent upon a number of factors and risks including, but not limited to: subsequent changes in plans by the Company's management; delays or problems in formulation, manufacturing, distribution, production and/or launch of new finished products; changes in the regulatory process; changes in market trends; and a number of other factors and risks described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities & Exchange Commission, including the Form 10-K filed March 31, 2008.