AZUSA, Calif., Aug. 3, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Viral Genetics, Inc. (OTCBB:VRAL), a drug development company developing a biological therapy for the treatment of HIV infection, today announced that it has hired Wieslawa Giermakowska as Director of Research. Ms. Giermakowska will lead research and development efforts for the firm at laboratory facilities leased at the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies in San Diego, CA.
Ms. Giermakowska, who received her Master of Science in Microbiology from Marie Curie University in Poland, has over 17 years of experience in the drug development research laboratory environment with special emphasis on immunology-related research. Since 2003, she has been manager of the Immunology Department, Autoimmune Diseases, at Androclus Therapeutics in San Diego, CA. Previously she spent 15 years as a research scientist at The Immune Response Corporation. She has extensive expertise in immune-based therapy (IBT) development, with a special emphasis on HIV research; and her research has been published in a number of scientific publications.
The initial focus of the research program will be on mechanism of action studies for VGV-1, the company's lead product candidate for the treatment of HIV that is currently being evaluated in a 137-patient phase 3 study in South Africa. Research will also include work on other potential applications of the Company's TNP compound, as well as development of other compounds.
"We are very pleased to have someone with Wieslawa's experience in IBT development and focus on HIV to carry out research and development efforts we have long desired to pursue," commented Haig Keledjian, CEO and President. "We had postponed many aspects of this critical research as we sought to collaborate with a well-known institution in the US, but we were not comfortable with some of the intellectual property issues. By having an in-house research lab, we are better able to control and protect our IP while advancing the scientific understanding of our compounds. We are not ruling out collaboration in the future, but we did not want to wait any longer to commence the R&D program."
About Viral Genetics, Inc.
Viral Genetics, Inc. is a drug discovery and development company based in southern California developing treatments for infectious disease, autoimmune disease and immunological deficiency through its patented Thymus Nuclear Protein technology. For more information, visit www.viralgenetics.com.
About Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies:
Founded in 1988, Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies is an independent non-profit biomedical research institute dedicated to the discovery of causes, treatments and cures for a wide variety of diseases and afflictions including heart disease, cancer, AIDS, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, aging-relating conditions, and pain management. Research is supported through grants from National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Diabetes National Research Group, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Alzheimer's and Aging Research Center, corporate contracts, and both private and corporate donations.
More information is available at www.tpims.org.
This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties associated with clinical development, regulatory approvals, and other risks described by Viral Genetics, Inc. from time to time in its periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission. VGV-1 and TNP are not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration or by any comparable regulatory agencies elsewhere in the world. While Viral Genetics, Inc. believes that the forward-looking statements and underlying assumptions contained therein are reasonable, any of the assumptions could be inaccurate, including the ability of Viral Genetics, Inc., to obtain adequate financing sufficient to meet its business objectives on reasonable terms and conditions, and therefore, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements included in this release will prove to be accurate. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included herein, the forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by the Company or any other person that the objectives and plans of the Company will be achieved.