90% of Animals Treated with Combined Therapy Survive
Compared with 10% of Animals Treated with Monoclonal Antibodies Alone

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – April 27, 2004 – A compound the primes immune cells to kill antibody-targeted cancer cells may significantly increase the effectiveness of anti-cancer monoclonal antibodies such as Ritxuan^TM and Herceptin^TM, according to researchers today at the Glycomics: Carbohydrates in Drug Development Conference.

Intravenous therapy with small soluble beta (β)-glucan sugar (NSG^TM from Biopolymer Engineering, Inc.) isolated from Baker’s yeast, primed the complement C3-receptor on innate immune cells called neutrophils. This priming by NSG β-glucan triggered neutrophil killing of tumors that had been targeted with a coating of complement through the action of anti-tumor monoclonal antibodies (mAb) that bind to tumors and activate the complement system. This mechanism of action was also achieved following oral administration of whole glucan particles (EX-WGP^TM from Biopolymer Engineering) that were shown to be degraded by gastrointestinal macrophages into NSG-like fragments that primed the CR3 of neutrophils.

Animals treated for 32 days with a combination of oral and i.v. β-glucan along with an anti-tumor mAb enjoyed a 50% shrinkage of their tumors, whereas animals receiving only the mAb suffered from a 300% increase in tumor size. Similarly, 90% of the animals receiving the combination treatment had survived after 100 days as compared to only 10% of those treated with the mAb only.

“This research bodes well for development of beta glucans as adjuvants to improve the effectiveness of monoclonal antibody therapy of cancer,” said Gordon D. Ross, Ph.D., Director of the Tumor Immunobiology Program at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center at the University of Louisville.

The research findings were presented in a poster presentation entitled, “β-Glucan "Pro-Drugs": Large β-Glucans are Processed by Macrophages that Secrete a Bioactive β-Glucan Fragment that Primes Neutrophils to Kill Antibody-Targeted Tumor Cells.” The research was conducted by the James Graham Brown Cancer Center at the University of Louisville and Biopolymer Engineering, Inc., a Minnesota biotechnology company. For the poster abstract, visit: http://www.biopolymer.com/Glycomics%20abstract.htm.

The researchers included Dr. Ross, Daniel J. Allendorf , Richard D. Hansen , and Jun Yan M.D., Ph.D. from the Tumor Immunobiology Program at James Graham Brown Cancer Center and Brian Brandley Ph.D., Vice President of Research and Development at Biopolymer Engineering, Inc. The researchers will present their findings at two other conferences this week on recombinant and monoclonal antibodies. All three conferences are sponsored by the Cambridge Health Institute.

Biopolymer Engineering, Inc. is a biotechnology company that is pioneering carbohydrate solutions to improve human health. Based in Eagan, Minnesota, the company has more than 40 US patents and patents pending, with additional filings in more than 20 countries that protect its yeast beta glucan products and compounds. Biopolymer Engineering is developing beta glucan applications for pharmaceuticals, nutritional supplements, functional foods, cosmetics and animal feed and nutrition. Website: www.biopolymer.com.

For more information, contact:

David Walsh
Biopolymer Engineering, Inc.
651-256-4606
dwalsh@biopolymer.com