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PRESS RELEASE - JAN 3rd, 2008
UPSTREAM BIOSCIENCES TO COLLABORATE WITH
LEADING CANADIAN PUBLIC HEALTH LAB TO TEST ITS NOVEL AGENTS AGAINST
MALARIA
• In Vitro Testing Collaboration with the Provincial
Laboratory for Public Health Marks the Formal Initiation of Upstream’s
Preclinical Anti-Malaria Program
Vancouver, British Columbia– January
3rd, 2008– Upstream Biosciences Inc. (OTCBB: UPBS) today announced
that it has entered into a collaboration with the Provincial Laboratory
for Public Health (or ProvLab) in Alberta, Canada to begin in vitro
testing of Upstream’s novel compounds for the potential treatment
of malaria. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated
500 million people become severely ill with malaria and more than one
million people die of the disease each year.
"ProvLab is among the most respected and well-accredited
laboratories in Canada, and we are pleased to be working with their
scientists to test the potential utility of our anti-malarial drug candidates,"
said Joel L. Bellenson, Chief Executive Officer of Upstream. "Malaria
is the most widely known and devastating of the tropical parasitic diseases,
yet the best efforts of global health organizations have so far failed
to come up with effective and affordable drugs to take the place of
existing therapies, which are becoming increasingly ineffective.”
Upstream’s library of novel compounds has already
demonstrated encouraging potential in vitro against the tropical parasitic
diseases leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis, or African sleeping sickness,
and may also have therapeutic utility against the parasite that causes
malaria. Malaria, leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis are caused by related
parasites.
Mr. Bellenson continued, “We look forward to moving
quickly to complete these initial studies so that we can hopefully progress
to further preclinical and clinical studies of the candidates that demonstrate
the most promise for the treatment of this terrible disease, which causes
so much human suffering and acts as a barrier to economic and social
development throughout the developing world.”
About Malaria
Malaria is an infectious disease caused by parasites of the species
Plasmodium that are spread from person to person through the bites of
infected mosquitoes. According to the World Heath Organization (WHO),
about 40% of the world’s population is at risk of malaria. Malaria
is endemic in some parts of the world, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa,
where many of the estimated 500 million malaria cases per year are found.
Early diagnosis and treatment can shorten the duration of the disease
and prevent death or the development of debilitating complications.
However, the malaria-causing parasite's resistance to current medicines
continues to undermine malaria control efforts. Malaria disproportionately
affects the poor who cannot afford treatment or who have limited access
to health care. According to the WHO, in some countries with a heavy
malaria burden, the disease may account for as much as 40% of public
health expenditure, 30-50% of inpatient admissions and up to 60% of
outpatient visits.
About The Provincial Laboratory for Public Health
Founded in 1907, the Provincial Laboratory for Public Health (ProvLab)
in Alberta, Canada, belongs to a network of federal and provincial public
health laboratories called the Canadian Public Health Laboratory Network
(CPHLN). ProvLab supports Alberta’s hospitals, health system and
government agencies with its laboratory-based surveillance, diagnostics
and research. Internationally recognized for laboratory excellence,
ProvLab maintains accreditation from the foremost inspection agencies
designed to evaluate the quality of laboratory services. ProvLab is
the only public health laboratory in Canada to simultaneously hold certificates
from the following agencies: College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta
(CPSA), College of American Pathologists' (CAP), Canadian Association
of Environmental Analytical Laboratories (CAEAL), and the American Association
of Tissue Banks.
About Upstream Biosciences, Inc.
Founded in 2004, Upstream Biosciences is an emerging leader in the discovery
and development of novel drugs for tropical parasitic diseases and in
the development of genetic diagnostics for cancer susceptibility and
drug response. Upstream's innovative approach to drug discovery and
its proprietary data mining pipeline enable it to apply advanced computational
approaches to generating novel drug candidates and to locating and analyzing
the genetic variations important to disease progression and drug response.
For more information, please contact Samantha Haynes at
1-800-539-0289 or info@upstreambio.com.
Media Contact: GendeLLindheim BioCom Partners, Barbara Lindheim:
Tel: 212- 918-4650
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