A new telomerase player

Geron Corp. is virtually synonymous with telomerase, but another company, Gemini Technologies Inc., is the first to report preclinical results related to the enzyme. Gemini, an 80 percent-owned subsidiary of Atlantic Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ATLC), last week presented preclinical results with a 2-5A antisense compound that inhibited the growth of glioblastoma cells transplanted into mice(see B10).The compound targets the RNA component of telomerase.

ATLC President and CEO J.D. Lindjord characterized the work as important for two reasons: telomerase appears to be a good target in cancer, preventing the growth of those tumors that overexpress the enzyme. It also is the first in vivo demonstration that Gemini's 2-5A technology can enhance antisense approaches by recruiting RNase L to degrade the targeted RNA over and above the cell's usual Rnase response to antisense...