Targeson

Charlottesville, VA – Sept 28, 2008 - Targeson announced that it has received notice of award of a Phase I small business innovation research (SBIR) award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The goal of the project is to develop a novel ultrasound contrast agent for molecular imaging of angiogenesis in tumor tissues. Angiogenesis is an essential component of tumor growth and elicits distinctive molecular characteristics in angiogenic endothelial cells. The molecular diversity of angiogenic endothelial cells provides an avenue for delivering targeted contrast agents specifically to the tumor vasculature. Targeson aims to utilize its expertise in contrast agent targeting to generate an ultrasound probe bearing covalently-bound ligands specific for multiple molecular markers of angiogenesis.  The agent will expand upon Targeson’s current product line, Targestar™, by enabling direct-from-vial administration of contrast agents and eliminating the need for user conjugation to targeting molecules.

According to Targeson VP for Product Development, Christopher Anderson, PhD, “We are developing a highly efficient and easy to use product for detecting and demarcating angiogenic tumors in the setting of basic science and drug discovery research. A multi-targeted contrast agent will be useful for scientists evaluating the development of tumors over time and for researchers developing anti-cancer therapy, who need to detect angiogenesis and visualize the regions of tumor growth.”

Molecular imaging has emerged as an essential tool in cancer research, and ultrasound is an emerging molecular imaging technique. Ultrasound currently has a significant footprint in cancer research, although these systems are primarily used for anatomical imaging. Targeson’s targeted contrast agent products enable researchers to expand the use of existing ultrasound scanners into molecular and functional imaging. The Company is focused upon developing contrast agents for molecular imaging of tumor angiogenesis, as well as inflammatory disorders, such as inflammatory bowel disease and atherosclerosis. About Targeson

Targeson, LLC is an early-stage biotechnology company active in the field of ultrasound contrast imaging. The Company has developed two contrast agent formulations, currently available for preclinical functional and molecular imaging applications. Targeson is headquartered in Charlottesville, VA. For more information, visit www.targeson.com.

Targeson has developed two microbubble contrast agents that can be used for molecular and functional imaging using ultrasound. Targeson’s agents are lipid-encapsulated perfluorocarbon microbubbles with a mean diameter of 2.5 um, can be used in a wide variety of animal models, and are compatible with virtually all ultrasound scanners. Click here to learn more about Targeson’s products and applications (must have Flash Player installed). 

Charlottesville, VA – 01 February 2008 – Targeson announced that it has received notice of award of a Phase I small business innovation research (SBIR) award from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This project will expand upon Targeson’s current product line, Targestar™, by enabling direct-from-vial administration of contrast agents. Current site-targeted ultrasound contrast agents require conjugation of the ligand to the agent by the user, which can be time-consuming and costly. Targeson will develop contrast agents bearing covalently-bound ligands specific for molecular markers of inflammation and tumor angiogenesis. These agents will utilize Targeson’s proprietary multiple-targeting strategy for enhanced contrast agent retention.

According to Targeson President and CEO Stephen Parks, “We anticipate that the agents currently being developed by Targeson will fulfill the promise of ultrasound as a convenient, rapid, and cost-effective imaging modality, and enable the use of our products by a broader user base.”

The Company is focused upon developing contrast agents useful for imaging inflammatory disorders, such as inflammatory bowel disease and atherosclerosis, and tumor angiogenesis.

About Targeson

Targeson, LLC is an early-stage biotechnology company active in the field of ultrasound contrast imaging. The Company has developed two contrast agent formulations, currently available for preclinical functional and molecular imaging applications. Targeson is headquartered in Charlottesville, VA. For more information, visit www.targeson.com.

Rotterdam, The Netherlands –24 January 2008 –Targeson presented data on the Company’s molecular imaging research at the 13th European Symposium on Ultrasound Contrast Imaging. Targeson co-founder and VP for Research and Development Joshua Rychak presented recent work from the Company and collaborators at the University of Virginia in the area of molecular imaging of atherosclerosis. This study utilized a proprietary dual-targeting strategy for imaging inflammatory components of atherosclerotic plaque development in mice.

According to Dr. Rychak, “The data we are presenting suggests that by conjugating a unique combination of two ligands to the Targestar-B microbubble, we can achieve a significant increase in microbubble attachment to targets expressed in large arteries. This dual-targeting strategy may prove to be extremely useful for imaging diseases in which adverse hemodynamic conditions or a low density of target molecules may prevent adhesion of a sufficient number of microbubbles.” 

The European Symposium on Ultrasound Contrast Imaging is held annually in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and brings together a unique group of clinicians, scientists, and industry representatives in the field of contrast ultrasound. Further information about the Symposium may be found online at http://www2.eur.nl/fgg/thorax/contrast/

 About Targeson

Targeson, LLC is an early-stage biotechnology company active in the field of ultrasound contrast imaging. The Company has developed two contrast agent formulations, currently available for preclinical functional and molecular imaging applications. Targeson is headquartered in Charlottesville, VA. For more information, visit www.targeson.com.

Charlottesville, VA – 01 October 2007 –Targeson announces that Dr. Brian Campbell will become Chairman of the Company’s Board of Managers, effective October 1 2007. Dr. Campbell will succeed Targeson co-founder Klaus Ley, MD, who has served as Chairman since November 2005. Dr. Ley will chair the Company’s Scientific Advisory Board, effective immediately. “Brian brings an enormous wealth of experience in corporate management, and we are excited to welcome him to the team,” said Steve Parks, President and CEO.

Dr. Campbell holds an MBA from the University of Western Ontario - Canada and a PhD in Business Administration from Columbia University. He is currently Chief Financial Officer for Dynamic Literacy, an education company in Charlottesville, VA.

About Targeson

Targeson, LLC is an early-stage biotechnology company active in the field of ultrasound contrast imaging. The Company has developed two contrast agent formulations, currently available for preclinical functional and molecular imaging applications. Targeson is headquartered in Charlottesville, VA. For more information, visit www.targeson.com.

Charlottesville, VA – 25 September 2007 – Targeson announced that it has completed a licensing arrangement with SibTech, Inc of Newington, CT. Under the terms of the licensing agreement, SibTech will provide Targeson with its proprietary single-chain vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) peptide for use with Targeson’s ultrasound contrast agent system. Targeson agents bearing the SibTech ligand will be used for imaging VEGF receptor expression, a useful molecular marker of tumor growth. Targeson will develop and market ultrasound contrast agent kits using the SibTech compound in the preclinical molecular imaging market. Unlike many molecules currently used as targeting ligands, SibTech’s VEGF compound exhibits reactivity in multiple animal species, does not activate intracellular VEGF signaling, and does not possess the potentially immunogenic domains found in antibodies.

“Partnering with SibTech provides Targeson with access to a tremendous depth of experience in the tumor imaging field,” said Joshua Rychak, Targeson Vice President for Research and Development. “The SibTech compounds are uniquely suited for non-invasive imaging of VEGF receptor expression, and developing contrast agents utilizing these ligands will enable ultrasound imaging to rapidly enhance its position in the tumor imaging field.”

About Targeson

Targeson, LLC is an early-stage biotechnology company active in the field of ultrasound contrast imaging. The Company has developed two contrast agent formulations, currently available for preclinical functional and molecular imaging applications. Targeson is headquartered in Charlottesville, VA. For more information, visit www.targeson.com

About SibTech

SibTech is a privately held biopharmaceutical company that develops protein-driven conjugates for targeted delivery of therapeutic and imaging agents. With more that $3.5 M in Small Business Innovative Research Grants from the National Institutes of Health, Department of Energy, and Department of Defense, SibTech has developed a new platform technology for loading therapeutic and diagnostic payloads onto targeting proteins. In this approach, targeting proteins are expressed with a proprietary smart tag engineered for non-destructive, site-specific conjugation of virtually any payload. Currently, SibTech is developing therapeutic and diagnostic constructs for targeting tumor vasculature.

Charlottesville, VA – 01 August 2007 – Targeson announced that it has received a Phase I small business innovation research (SBIR) award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK), a division of the NIH, to investigate the use of site-targeted gene delivery vehicles for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. The agents to be developed by Targeson will enable targeted delivery of a therapeutic gene to inflamed regions of bowel. The gene-bearing agents will be targeted to diseased tissue via molecular markers of inflammation up-regulated in inflammatory bowel disease.

 Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic, debilitating condition with no known cure and few long-term treatment options. Recently, several genetic components of the disease have come to light, suggesting that gene therapy may be a viable approach. Unlike many existing gene therapy approaches, Targeson’s proposed gene delivery vehicle does not require a viral vector. The agents are biocompatible microcapsules which may be loaded with therapeutic genes and selectively targeted to diseased tissue. 

About Targeson

Targeson, LLC is an early-stage biotechnology company active in the field of ultrasound contrast imaging. The Company has developed two contrast agent formulations, currently available for preclinical functional and molecular imaging applications. Targeson is headquartered in Charlottesville, VA. For more information, visit www.targeson.com.

Charlottesville, VA – 22 September 2006 –  Targeson announces the launch of the Company’s latest microbubble product, Targestar-P Continuous Infusion. This kit utilizes the Targestar-P microbubble agent, which is a bioinert, lipid-stabilized microbubble formulated specifically for imaging blood flow in small animals. The Infusion Kit contains a unique infusion buffer, which enables dilution of the microbubble agents to the low concentrations required for quantitative vascular perfusion imaging without loss in microbubble stability.

According to Joshua Rychak, Targeson Vice President for Research and Development, “Quantitation of blood flow with contrast ultrasound typically requires an infusion of low-concentration microbubbles. We know that dilution of microbubbles in standard saline of other buffers can lead to changes in microbubble concentration and diameter, which can potentially confound imaging. The infusion buffer we’ve developed as part of the Continuous Infusion kit enables reproducible quantitative blood flow imaging in a wide variety of applications.”

About Targeson

Targeson, LLC is an early-stage biotechnology company active in the field of ultrasound contrast imaging. The Company has developed two contrast agent formulations, currently available for preclinical functional and molecular imaging applications. Targeson is headquartered in Charlottesville, VA. For more information, visit www.targeson.com.

Washington, DC – 03 April 2006 – Targeson and VisualSonics, Inc presented the results of a research collaboration between the two companies and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Two abstracts were accepted for late-breaking presentation. “In vivo quantification of VEGFR2 in a mouse model of tumor angiogenesis using targeted contrast enhanced high frequency micro-ultrasound” describes the use of Targeson’s targeted ultrasound contrast agent, Targestar-B, to detect molecular markers of tumor angiogenesis in a mouse model of cancer using the VisualSonics Vevo 770 ultrasound microimaging system. The Vevo 770 enabled detection of contrast agents bound to VEGFR2 with spatial resolution superior  to that available on other ultrasound scanners.

A second presentation, entitled “Direct real-time visualization of experimental tumor microcirculation using high frequency Maximum Intensity Persistence (MIP) contrast micro-ultrasound” described the use of Targeson’s Targestar-P microbubble to detect microvascular perfusion in real-time using the Vevo 770. Targestar-P, which is a non-targeted bioinert ultrasound contrast agent, was used to image blood flow through the tumor in real-time using a persistence imaging technique implemented by VisualSonics.

About Targeson

Targeson, LLC is an early-stage biotechnology company active in the field of ultrasound contrast imaging. The Company has developed two contrast agent formulations, currently available for preclinical functional and molecular imaging applications. Targeson is headquartered in Charlottesville, VA. For more information, visit www.targeson.com. 

Charlottesville, VA - 01 January 2006 - Targeson announces the launch the company’s first product line, Targestar™. Targestar™ is a lipid-stabilized microbubble platform that can be used for molecular and functional imaging with diagnostic ultrasound. This agent is currently the only commercially available ultrasound contrast agent specifically made for small animal imaging.
Targeson currently offers two products from the Targestar™ line: Targestar-P, a non-targeted, non-immunogenic ultrasound contrast agent for imaging and quantifying blood flow and general contrast enhancement in small animals; and Targestar-B, a microbubble which may be targeted to molecular markers of disease by conjugating a targeting ligand to the agents surface. Targestar-B is provided as a kit, enabling the user to couple a nearly limitless variety of targeting ligands to the agent shell using a versatile biotin-avidin coupling system.

The Targestar™ agents can be used to monitor the disease progression in animal models, and provides a unique method to track the response of experimental subjects to investigative treatment using non-invasive ultrasound imaging. This technology fulfills several unmet needs in the research and drug development fields, the foremost being the ability to set non-invasive endpoints in pre-clinical studies. Targeson’s products can be used with most currently-available ultrasound imaging equipment, and enable researchers to utilize several key advantages of ultrasound: superior cost efficiency, real-time imaging, and high portability.

About Targeson
Targeson, LLC is an early-stage biotechnology company active in the field of ultrasound contrast imaging. The Company has developed two contrast agent formulations, currently available for preclinical functional and molecular imaging applications. Targeson is headquartered in Charlottesville, VA. For more information, visit www.targeson.com.