Commencement of GMP Production Project for Lead Anti-Cancer Product PAT-LM1

MELBOURNE, Australia and PRINCETON, N.J., June 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Patrys Limited (ASX: PAB) (the "Company"), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel treatments for cancer, is pleased to announce it has extended its relationship with Laureate Biopharmaceutical Services, Inc. ("Laureate"), to manufacture lead product PAT-LM1 for preclinical and clinical use.  

PAT-LM1 is a natural human antibody that has been shown to have anti-cancer properties, in multiple animal models, including a potent effect in models of pancreatic, lung and colon cancers.  

Laureate is a US based full-service biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization and has extensive experience in the production of both clinical and marketed products in the biotechnology sector.  

Patrys has an existing arrangement with Laureate for the production of another lead anti-cancer product PAT-SM6.  The PAT-SM6 project at Laureate has been very successful with production yields far exceeding expectations.  PAT-SM6 is currently being evaluated in a human clinical trial targeting patients with melanoma.  

"Laureate has extensive antibody production experience and given the success with PAT-SM6 production, which is very similar to what will be needed for PAT-LM1, Patrys is confident that Laureate can produce yields of PAT-LM1 sufficient to support commercialisation," said Mike Conner, Patrys Vice President, Manufacturing.

Michael A. Griffith, Chief Executive Officer of Laureate Biopharmaceutical Services, Inc added, "We are pleased to be Patrys' chosen manufacturing partner, giving Laureate the opportunity to share in the advancement of their novel anti-cancer products through clinical development."

"From what we have experienced first-hand with the successful production of PAT-SM6, the Patrys' production platform for its natural human antibodies is robust and productive. We expect that this platform will be very competitive in the field of antibody production."

Patrys CEO Dan Devine added that securing the manufacturing for PAT-LM1 was an important milestone toward evaluating PAT-LM1 in a first-in-human clinical trial in 2012.

The PAT-LM1 project has recently commenced at Laureate.

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About Patrys Limited:

Based in Melbourne, Australia, Patrys (ASX: PAB) is focused on the development of natural human antibodies as therapies for cancer and other major diseases.  Patrys has a deep pipeline of anti-cancer natural human antibodies that enable both internal development and partnering opportunities.  More information can be found at www.patrys.com.

About PAT-LM1:

PAT-LM1 is a natural human antibody that has been shown to have potent anti-cancer properties in a large number of laboratory and animal studies.  This lead product binds to a proprietary disease target that is expressed on the surface of cancer cells, but not on the surface of the healthy tissues screened.  With over 200 individual patient tumours screened, covering several different cancers, PAT-LM1 binds to nearly 98% of those tumours regardless of cancer type, age, gender or disease stage.  Patrys has filed patent applications to cover the PAT-LM1 molecule and its disease target.  

About PAT-SM6:

The natural human antibody PAT-SM6 has been shown to have potent anti-cancer properties in a large number of laboratory and animal studies. More specifically, Patrys has now screened PAT-SM6 against more than 200 tumours from individual patients with various cancers, and the product binds to over 90% of the tumours screened regardless of cancer type or patient age, gender or disease stage. With respect to melanoma, PAT-SM6 has shown particularly strong promise. Patrys has filed patent applications to cover the PAT-SM6 antibody molecule, disease target, and the mechanism of action.

About Laureate Biopharmaceutical Services, Inc.

Laureate Biopharmaceutical Services, Inc. is a full-service biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization. Laureate Biopharma's scientists are expert in process development and cGMP production of therapeutic proteins including monoclonal antibodies and Fc-fusion proteins. In addition, the company's portfolio of services includes aseptic filling, cell line development, analytical and stability testing, and regulatory support. Laureate Biopharma has served a global client base from its Princeton, New Jersey facility since 1981 and is a portfolio company of Saints Capital, LLC. For more information, please visit www.LBioS.com.

SOURCE Laureate Biopharmaceutical Services, Inc.