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Press Release

Senator Coleman Announces Minnesota’s First Federal Grant For Innovative Cancer Drug Development By Small Business

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 3, 2003

Minneapolis, Minn. - Senator Norm Coleman announced that GeneSegues, Inc., based in Minneapolis, Minn. has been awarded a $250,000 grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to further develop a promising gene therapeutic for head and neck cancer. More than 40,000 people die from head and neck cancer every year in the United States.

Senator Coleman said this grant exemplifies how the federal government can support innovative companies that address pressing health problems.

“The grant supports Minnesota’s efforts to enhance its biotechnology proficiency with the aid of federal dollars,” said Senator Coleman when announcing the grant.

GeneSegues becomes the first Minnesota firm to receive funding under a special NCI initiative within the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The initiative, Flexible System to Advance Innovative Research for Cancer Drug Discovery by Small Business (FLAIR), is designed to support drug discovery and development.

GeneSegues’ mission focuses on the use of a novel drug delivery agent –microscopic
nanocapsules-for cancer gene therapy. The company’s founder and president, Dr. Gretchen Unger, has developed a process for compressing DNA molecules into molecular-sized nanocapsules that are taken up by targeted cancer cells.

Dr. George S. Johnson, NCI grant program director and catalyst of the FLAIR initiative, emphasized that GeneSegues’ innovative technology and exciting therapeutic approach are proof of the creativity of small business and their value to meeting NCI’s mission of eradicating cancer.
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Dr. George Adams, Professor and Head of Otolaryngology in the Academic Health Center at the University of Minnesota, is a collaborator on the project. “This may lead to a form of treatment that would direct the therapy to the tumor with less systemic side effects,” said Dr. Adams, who has practiced in the field of head and neck cancer for over 35 years.

Dr. Unger credits Minnesota Project Innovation (MPI) for much of GeneSegues’ success in obtaining the grant. “MPI’s Technology Innovation and Commercialization Center helped us understand the government marketplace and to tap into the complex federal research and development arena. Their knowledge and insight were invaluable as we prepared our research proposal in a very competitive environment,” said Dr. Unger.

Dr. Unger expects to begin studies on the potential therapy in humans by 2005.