( VILLA GUARDIA (COMO) Italy--(BUSINESS ...)Gentium's Defibrotide Highlighted in Two Poster Presentations at,American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting,Health

VILLA GUARDIA (COMO), Italy--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 13, 2007 - Gentium, S.p.A. (NASDAQ:GENT) (the "Company") today reported that its lead investigational product, Defibrotide, will be the subject of two poster presentations at the American Association for Cancer Research's (AACR) Annual Meeting being held at the Los Angeles Conference Center in Los Angeles, California, from April 14-18, 2007.

On Monday, April 16, 2007, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time), Dr. Cinara Echart, Ph.D., Manager of Biological Research Laboratory at Gentium, will present a poster entitled "Modulation Of Heparanase Expression In Myeloma Tumor Cell Lines By Defibrotide: A Novel Mechanism Of Anti-Tumor Activity." (Poster session 23, Tumor Biology 21, Abstract #3100, Board #29)

Elevated heparanase expression in humans has been correlated with advanced progression and metastasis of many tumor types, including multiple myeloma (MM), where its presence may be particularly important because MM expresses high levels of heparin sulphate proteoglycan syndecan-1(CD138).

This in vitro study investigated Defibrotide's effectiveness in regulating the expression and activity of heparanase in two MM cell lines, U266 and RPMI 8226. The potential effect of Defibrotide to regulate heparanase gene expression was evaluated through real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of cDNA prepared from the two lines of MM cells treated with Defibrotide or saline. Heparanase activity was measured in MM cells treated with Defibrotide (at 50, 100 and 150 (mu)g/ml) or saline for 24 hours by using a heparan-degrading enzyme kit. Results showed a significant down-regulation of heparanase gene expression by Defibrotide (at 150 (mu)/ml) after 24 hours of treatment (p less than 0.01) compared with saline.

Dr. Echart expounded upon these results, "These pre-clinical data suggest that Defibrotide not only has an effect in down-regulation of heparan
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