Takara Bio Inc. has entered a material transfer agreement with Duarte, California-based City of Hope Cancer Center, a biomedical research and treatment center. Under terms of the agreement, Takara Bio's RetroNectin^® will be utilized for a clinical study of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)-gene therapy for HIV/AIDS. The study is being conducted by Amrita Krishnan, M.D., physician, Division of Hematology/Bone Marrow Transplantation, City of Hope.

Currently, approximately one million people are infected with HIV in North America. Nearly forty thousand people become infected every year. Current treatment of HIV/AIDS uses multiple anti-viral drugs, resulting in the emergence of a drug-resistant virus and failing to make a complete inhibition of the virus proliferation.

In this clinical study, HSCs are collected from an AIDS patient and subjected to lentivirus-mediated gene transfer. This process introduces the gene encoding three types of anti-HIV RNA, followed by the infusion of the transduced HSCs back into the patient.

Takara Bio's RetroNectin^® is utilized to increase the efficiency of such gene transfer into HSCs. The introduced gene is theorized to cause a three-way RNA-mediated attack to AIDS-causing virus, which consists of inhibition of HIV gene expression via RNAi, specific cleavages of the virus gene by ribozyme and inhibition of the virus gene expression by RNA TAR decoy, to block the virus proliferation and infection. Five patients are expected to enroll and be treated in this study.

ABOUT CITY OF HOPE
City of Hope is one of the world's leading research and treatment centers for cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Named by U.S.News & World Report as one of America's best medical centers for cancer treatment, City of Hope is a Comprehensive Cancer Center, the highest designation bestowed by the National Cancer Institute, and a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Founded in 1913, City of Hope is a pioneer in the fields of bone marrow transplantation and genetics.

City of Hope's scientific knowledge is shared with medical centers locally and globally, helping patients battling life-threatening diseases. For more information, visit www.cityofhope.org.

About Takara Bio Inc.
Takara Bio Inc. is an innovative biotechnology company based in Shiga, Japan. As a world leader in biotechnology research and development, Takara Bio was the first company to market PCR technology in Japan and is also the developer of the RetroNectin^® reagent, which is a world-standard in gene therapy protocols. In addition to providing research reagents and equipment to the life science research market, Takara Bio has active research and product development activities in the fields of gene and cell-based therapy, and agricultural biotechnology; and is committed preventing disease and improving the quality of life for all people through the use of biotechnology. Through strategic alliances with other industry leaders, the Company aims to extend its reach around the world. More information is available at http://www.takara-bio.com.

For more information:
Corporate Communications
Takara Bio Inc.
E-mail: bio-ir@takara-bio.co.jp

This article is translated from press release in Japanese for your convenience.

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