Vascular Biogenics Receives Frost & Sullivan Technology Innovation Award

Israel (OBBeC) - Frost & Sullivan has presented Israel-based Vascular Biogenics with its 2008 European Gene Expression Targeting Platform Technology Innovation Award. This award has been given to Vascular Biogenics in recognition of the development of the Vascular Targeting System (VTS), a unique platform that has facilitated novel advancements in gene expression-based treatments where angiogenesis is an explicit feature.

“The VTS platform is a potent and flexible technology permitting the limitation of gene expression to endothelial cells undergoing angiogenesis,” explains Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Prasanna Vadhana Kannan. “The uniqueness of the VTS platform can be utilised for the technological advancement and commercialization of novel treatments targeting life-threatening diseases where angiogenesis occurs.”

According to the announcement, this innovative gene expression targeting platform technology essentially facilitates control of gene expression to the zones where angiogenesis is taking place to either promote the formation or destroy the newly formed blood vessels. It represents a promising tool for targeted treatment of pathological diseases, supported by the effective delivery of therapies solely to diseased tissues, avoiding harm to the body’s healthy tissues.

Till date, the VTS platform has been used in generating two chief therapeutic drug candidates mainly dependent upon inserted genes, pro-apoptotic and pro-angiogenic signals. The two developmental products based on the VTS technology are GT-111, an anti-angiogenic cancer therapy, which has the potential to be utilised as a relatively broad-spectrum anticancer agent effective in different types of solid tumours where vascularisation is of primary concern and GT-211, which is a pro-angiogenic therapy for ischemic diseases.

“Both products are ideally designed for effectively stimulating the growth and maturity of new blood vessels, thus aiding in enhancing the VTS platform’s efficacy in thwarting areas that suffer from lack of blood flow due to the obstruction of the existing blood vessel,” notes Kannan. “The other clinical stage products being designed by the company include a broad array of small molecule drugs targeting anti-inflammatory disorders as well as diseases of the arteries.”

Frost & Sullivan’s Technology Innovation Award is bestowed upon a company (or individual) that has carried out new research, which has resulted in innovation(s) that have or are expected to bring significant contributions to the industry in terms of adoption, change, and competitive posture. This award recognises the quality and depth of a company’s research and development programme as well as the vision and risk-taking that enabled it to undertake such an endeavour.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.