UROGENESYS AND GENENTECH SIGN AGREEMENT FOR PROSTATE CANCER ANTIBODY THERAPY Santa Monica, Calif., July 18, 2000 - UroGenesys, Inc. (private) announced today the signing of an agreement providing Genentech, Inc. (NYSE: DNA) with an exclusive worldwide license to develop antibody-based therapeutics for cancer using Prostate Stem Cell Antigen (PSCA) as a target antigen. The license grant covers patent rights to PSCA as a target for antibody therapy in any cancer indication, as well as a panel of monoclonal antibodies. Under the terms of the agreement, UroGenesys could receive, contingent on program success, milestone and other payments totaling $33 million, in addition to royalties on product sales. PSCA is a cell surface protein whose expression is elevated in greater than 80% of all stages of prostate cancer, including bone metastatic lesions, and in the majority of bladder cancer patients. UroGenesys holds an exclusive license to PSCA-related patents from UCLA and has been validating its potential as an antibody target in the Company's proprietary xenograft models of human cancer in mice. "We are most pleased to be partnered with Genentech, a world leader in cancer antibody therapeutics with demonstrated capability to bring antibody-based drugs to market quickly," said Donald B. Rice, Chief Executive Officer of UroGenesys. "PSCA, one of the numerous proprietary antigens in our portfolio, was validated by the Company as an attractive target for antibody therapy in prostate as well as other cancers." "We are impressed with the science being conducted at UroGenesys and are committed to working on this interesting target for prostate cancer," said Vishva Dixit, Director of Molecular Oncology at Genentech, Inc. "Such collaborations leverage the investments we have made in oncology and antibody technologies." Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in American men. Over one million men are currently living with prostate cancer in the U.S. with over 180,000 new cases diagnosed each year and 40,000 deaths attributed to the disease annually. The cost to the health care system is more than $4.0 billion a year. UroGenesys, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of innovative therapeutic and diagnostic products for urological cancers, with an initial emphasis on prostate cancer. Its proprietary gene discovery and validation technologies enable the company to accelerate the identification of clinically relevant targets, leading to a current portfolio of 40 proprietary targets in prostate and other cancers. UroGenesys seeks to partner its discoveries for development of antibody, small molecule, vaccine and protein therapeutics, and diagnostics. The Company's laboratories and offices are located in Santa Monica, California. Contacts Donald Rice, Ph.D. President and CEO Aya Jakobovits, Ph.D. Vice President, Research & CSO UroGenesys, Inc. (310) 820-8029 www.urogenesys.com Robert Gottlieb Sharon Karlsberg Feinstein Kean Healthcare (617) 577-8110 www.fkhealth.com << Back to Press Releases