Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGMO) announced today that preliminary data from the University of Pennsylvania investigator sponsored Phase 1 safety study of Sangamo's zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) based product, SB-728-T, for HIV/AIDS were presented on Friday, January 15, 2010 at the Keystone Symposium Session "HIV Biology and Pathogenesis." Sangamo's collaborator, Carl June, M.D., Director of Translational Research at the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, presented the data as an invited speaker in an NIAID Workshop entitled "The Next Challenge: Elimination of HIV Reservoirs."
"While only representative of a single individual in the trial, these data are very exciting," said Dr. June. "They demonstrate that the ZFN-modified T-cells were well tolerated by the body and persisted in the circulation at stable levels for the duration of our monitoring. In fact, we calculate that more ZFN-modified cells were present at 20 weeks than were initially infused. Total CD4+ T-cell counts were also stable during this time. Interestingly, we also observed ZFN-modified cells in the gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) which is a major reservoir of immune cells and a critical reservoir of HIV infection and suggests that the modified cells are functioning and trafficking normally in the body."
Dr. June described data from a single HIV- positive subject treated with SB-728-T who, as part of the study, began a structured treatment interruption (STI) from his antiviral drug therapy four weeks after SB-728-T treatment. Twelve weeks later, the STI ended and the subject resumed antiviral therapy. During the study, the subject's CD4+ T-cell count, the number of circulating ZFN-modified cells and viral loads were measured periodically. In addition, rectal biopsies were taken prior to treatment and at the end of the STI period to monitor levels of CD4+ and ZFN-modified T-cells in the GALT.