HML Henderson Mrly.

 

TIDMHML 
 
RNS Number : 8909Z 
Henderson Morley PLC 
30 September 2009 
 
30 SEPTEMBER 2009 
 
 
HENDERSON MORLEY PLC 
 (AIM: HML) 
 COLLABORATIVE AGREEMENT WITH UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA RESEARCH FOUNDATION 
 
The Board of Henderson Morley plc ("Henderson Morley" or the "Company"), the Aim 
quoted biotechnology company, is pleased to announce that it has signed a 
collaborative agreement with the University of Georgia Research Foundation, 
under the leadership of Professor Ralph Tripp, (Professor of Infectious Diseases 
at the University of Georgia). 
The collaborative agreement is to examine PREPS and L-particles as an adjuvant 
for naked DNA vaccines against flu virus infections, which will include the H1N1 
strain of the flu virus commonly known as swine flu. 
Georgia University is one of five US centres of excellence for Influenza 
Research and Surveillance (CEIRS). 
The studies, which will be completed at no cost to Henderson Morley, will be the 
first such studies to examine the use of PREPS and L particles as a vaccine 
adjuvant in influenza. 
Commenting on the announcement Henderson Morley's Executive Chairman, Andrew 
Knight said: "We are delighted to be working with the University of Georgia and 
specifically Professor Tripp, who is internationally recognised as a leader in 
his field." 
Professor Tripp of the University of Georgia Research Foundation stated: "If 
successful, these studies may offer a route to a new method of vaccination 
against influenza, and I am pleased to be working with Henderson Morley on this 
project." 
 -END- 
Enquires 
HENDERSON MORLEY PLC 
      0121 442 4600 
 Andrew Knight, Chairman 
 
BISHOPSGATECOMMUNICATIONS 
LTD                                            0207 562 3350 
 Maxine 
Barnes 
 Gemma O'Hara 
 
BREWIN DOLPHIN INVESTMENT BANKING 
                  0113 241 0126 
 Neil Baldwin 
 
RIVINGTON STREET CORPORATE 
FINANCE                                    0207 562 3380 
 Monisha 
Varadan 
 
 
Further information on Henderson Morley plc can be accessed through the 
Company's website at www.henderson-morley.com 
Note to Editors 
Preps and L-Particles - Simple description 
A herpes virus is a fairly simple structure- it has an outer layer called the 
envelope (like the leather of a football), an indistinct middle layer called the 
tegument (like the bladder of a football) and an inner core made of genetic 
material the nucleocapsid (like the air in a football). 
 
 When herpes 
viruses are grown in cells in a culture dish, the cells produce two types of 
virus particle simultaneously- live virus particles as above, and very similar, 
"empty" virus particles. These "empty" particles are identical to viruses, 
except that they have no genetic material i.e. no DNA. The discovery that these 
particles exist was a major breakthrough, and it was made by the internationally 
renowned Herpes Virology Group of the Medical Research Council in Glasgow. 
Because these particles are empty, they are lighter than viruses, hence they 
were named "L-particles" for "Light particles". 
The reason this was a major discovery 
Because these L-particles have effectively the same outer structure as a virus, 
the particle will be taken up into the inside of the cell as if it were a virus. 
Proteins contained in the particle will thus be delivered to the inside of the 
cell. 
 
 This ability to enter into cells means there is a great deal of 
potential for L-particles as a vaccine or therapy. If the L-particle was made to 
express (i.e.carry) a protein that would normally be found on e.g.a cancer cell, 
and the cell this was delivered to was an immune cell, a strong immune response 
could be generated. 
 
 Also, because HSV has a large DNA core, it is 
possible to engineer several proteins simultaneously- ie it can deliver several 
proteins at the same time. This is a very important feature when developing 
cancer therapies. 
Because the L-particle has no DNA it is unable to reproduce, and is therefore 
much safer than existing virus based therapies that use live viruses ( also 
known as virus vectors) 
 
 The manufacture of L-particles has been adapted 
to make these particles in a very pure form- there is almost no contamination of 
the L-particles with viruses. This has been achieved by making the L-particles 
in the presence of DNA inhibitors. The resulting particles are very slightly 
different in structure, but retain the important features of L-particles. These 
highly purified particles are known as PREPS particles. 
 
 Henderson Morley 
have acquired the patents for PREPS and L-particles and are now developing 
products in several disease areas based on these technologies. 
DNA vaccines are made up of a small, circular piece of DNA that has 
been genetically engineered to produce one or two specific proteins from a 
micro-organism- in this case from the influenza virus. The vaccine DNA is 
injected into the cells of the body, where the cell transcribes the DNA into 
viral proteins and thus helps generate an immune response. One of the problems 
associated with their usage in the past has been poor uptake by cells, meaning 
immune responses are less than ideal. 
The study due to be completed in Georgia, will examine the role of L-particles 
as an aid to the efficacy of a DNA vaccine for influenza. Studies completed by 
Henderson Morley have demonstrated that when L-particles are co-administered 
with naked DNA, there has been a significant (up to 700%) increase in the levels 
of DNA entering into cells and being transcribed. 
 
 
This information is provided by RNS 
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange 
   END 
 
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