Sangamo BioSciences Presents Data Demonstrating 'In Vivo' Protection Against HIV Infection by CCR5-ZFN T...( Preclinical Animal Data Demonstra...)

Preclinical Animal Data Demonstrates Selective Survival Advantage of

ZFN-Treated Immune Cells after HIV Infection

RICHMOND, Calif., Sept. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGMO) announced today the presentation of data demonstrating that human CD4 T-cells can be made permanently resistant to HIV infection by treatment with zinc finger DNA-binding protein nucleases (ZFN(TM)) and preferentially survive and expand in an animal after HIV infection. The presentation, entitled, "Establishment of HIV Resistant CD4 T-Cells by Engineered Zinc Finger Protein Nucleases" is taking place today at the 47th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in Chicago.

"The positive results being presented at ICAAC continue to strengthen our belief that CCR5-ZFNs are an important and promising class of anti-HIV compounds and may represent a "next generation" of HIV-entry blocking agents," said Carl June, M.D., Director of Translational Research at the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and a co-author of the study. "I look forward to working with Sangamo to bring this program into the clinic as quickly as possible."

Sangamo's ZFNs are designed to permanently modify the DNA sequence encoding CCR5, a co-receptor that enables HIV to enter and infect cells of the immune system. Individuals carrying a naturally occurring mutation of their CCR5 gene, a variant known as CCR5-delta32, have been shown to be resistant to HIV infection.

"The data presented today are very significant," commented Dale Ando, M.D., Sangamo's vice president of therapeutic development and chief medical offi
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