TransGenRx Protein Therapeutics Technology to Support Research Related to Protein-Based HDL Therapies at Esperion Therapeutics

PLYMOUTH, Mich. and BATON ROUGE, La., June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Esperion Therapeutics, a privately held biopharmaceutical company working to discover, develop and commercialize treatments for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, today announced that TransGenRx, a global leader in transgenic technology, will produce protein-based therapeutics to be used in the company's research efforts targeting HDL therapies for the treatment of cardio-metabolic disease. Under the terms of the agreement, TransGenRx will coordinate production of protein-based therapies for a range of research needs using a proprietary expression system.

Researchers at Esperion are working to develop novel therapies to treat cardio-metabolic disease including therapies based on HDL, the body's "good" cholesterol, which has been shown to play an important role in lipid management. The company's development platform includes therapies designed to mimic or enhance the function of HDL in managing and removing cholesterol and other lipids from atherosclerotic plaques. Researchers at Esperion have initiated preclinical and clinical research related to a variety of pathways for better lipid regulation to treat the full spectrum of cardio-metabolic diseases, from early risk factors to acute coronary syndromes and atherosclerosis.

"While HDL continues to show great promise in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, there have been significant challenges in the development of protein-based drug therapies. By working with the outstanding research and technology team at TransGenRx, we are positioned to access one of the most advanced, cost-effective protein expression technologies in the world to supply the protein-based therapies we will use in our research," said Roger Newton, Ph.D., President and CEO of Esperion. "This collaboration represents a tremendous advantage in our efforts to identify and access complex protein-based therapies that will lead to new treatments for cardio-metabolic disease in the years ahead."

On June 14, 2010, Esperion announced the establishment of a collaborative research agreement with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, one of the world's leading academic medical centers. In this collaboration teams at Esperion and Cleveland Clinic are working to advance research involving HDL mimetics and other protein-based therapies to treat cardiovascular disease.

"In terms of both cost and complexity, the development of protein-based therapies requires broad expertise and targeted, advanced technology to be successful. At TransGenRx, our proprietary protein expression technology is uniquely suited to meet the key challenges in the production of therapeutic proteins, and we look forward to supporting the important work by the teams at Esperion and Cleveland Clinic in efforts to develop promising new HDL therapies," said Richard Cooper, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of TransGenRx.

About TransGenRx

TransGenRx, a bio-pharmaceutical manufacturing company, has developed technology that significantly reduces the cost of producing protein-based drugs by using a high expressing avian cell line combined with a patented vector system. Patented and patent-pending processes allow TransGenRx to develop custom proteins to meet a wide range of specifications. The company's core technology involves the targeted integration of a desired gene sequence into virtually any animal or cell culture system and the controlled expression of that sequence to achieve a desired outcome (protein production, gene therapy, etc.) The Louisiana State University Agricultural Center has had an established research relationship with TransGenRx since 2002. For information visit www.tgrxinc.com.

About Esperion Therapeutics

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc., located in Plymouth, Michigan, discovers and develops novel therapies for the treatment of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. The company is funded by top tier venture capital investors, including Aisling Capital, Alta Partners, Arboretum Ventures, Asset Management Company and Domain Associates. For more information please visit www.esperion.com.

SOURCE Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.