Scientists from Cantab Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CNTBY)reported on Monday results of their disabled infectious singlecycle virus technology (DISC-virus) as an immunotherapeuticfor genital herpes at the UCLA Symposium on the Immunologyof Virus Infections in Taos, New Mexico.

The Cambridge, England-based company said that itsproprietary DISC-virus technology is effective in preventingdisease caused by Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 (HSV 2)infection in a guinea pig model of the disease.

According to the companyLs report in Taos, immunization withthe DISC HSV 1 virus provided a high degree of protectionagainst the primary symptoms of genital infection resultingfrom HSV 2, with the mean number of lesions reduced by morethan 90 percent after application of the compound directly tothe genital mucosal surface. Immunization by the same routealso resulted in a significant reduction in the frequency ofdisease recurrence following HSV-2 infection.

Herpes infections involve the skin, mucous membranes andconjunctivas (lining of the inner eyelid and part of the eyeball),with HSV 2 being primarily responsible for genital herpesinfections. It is estimated that roughly 10 million people in theU.S. and Europe suffer from some form of primary or recurrentgenital herpes, with about 500,000 new cases per year.

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