MOLOGEN AG will receive patent for new technological variant of MIDGE

Berlin, September 22, 2006 - The European Patent Office has informed MOLOGEN, that their patent for a new DNA technology on the basis of MIDGE principles will be granted.

The invention concerns DNA constructs, which are called Multi-MIDGE. With Multi-MIDGE several functional genes can be arranged in a way that they perform their respective tasks independently. For this purpose several MIDGE molecules are flexibly connected by a central DNA junction. Three or four MIDGE molecules connected in this way would form a structure similar to three- or four-leaved clover. The essential molecular characteristics of the single MIDGE vectors regarding medical safety, stability and efficacy are maintained in Multi-MIDGE.

Successful prevention of infections and treatment of diseases with DNA medicine often needs the application of several different functional genes, so called expression cassettes. If the expression cassettes are arranged sequentially on a DNA construct, they may interfere with each other. This may lead to an unpredictable production of more gene products by one expression cassette or the complete inactivation of expression cassettes. Until now, a functional independent multi gene transfer has only been achieved by using MIDGE, but not with viral or plasmid vectors. The different expression cassettes are placed on separate MIDGE molecules and the mixture of different MIDGE vectors is transferred. Multi-MIDGE makes functional independent multi gene transfer easier and more economic. It is expected to achieve advantages in approval procedures for medical products, because there is only one active DNA molecule, which carries different functional genes.
Multi-MIDGE can be used for multiple gene expression especially for DNA vaccination and in cancer therapy.

About MOLOGEN

MOLOGEN AG is a listed biopharmaceutical company with headquarters in Berlin (Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Regulated Market, ISIN DE0006637200). On the basis of patented technologies (MIDGE and dSLIM), MOLOGEN develops DNA-based vaccines and therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of a wide range of serious illnesses.

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