In Honor of World MS Day Opexa Therapeutics to Ring The NASDAQ Stock Market Closing Bell on May 28
In Honor of World MS Day Opexa Therapeutics to Ring The NASDAQ Stock Market Closing Bell on May 28
THE WOODLANDS, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. (NAS: OPXA) , a biotechnology company developing TcelnaTM, a patient specific T-cell immunotherapy for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), today announced it will visit the NASDAQ MarketSite to ring the Closing Bell on Tuesday, May 28, 2013, at 4:00 pm EDT.
In honor of World MS Day, Opexa's President and Chief Executive Officer, Neil K. Warma, joined by other members of the Opexa team, will ring the Closing Bell.
"We are very pleased to be invited to ring the Closing Bell on the eve of World MS Day," commented Mr. Warma. "World MS Day will be celebrated this year on May 29th and was developed in 2009 by the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF) to raise global awareness of MS and how it affects more than 2 million people worldwide. At Opexa, we are committed to the MS community and to the development of TcelnaTM, a novel immunotherapy for the treatment of Secondary Progressive MS. In addition, we are pleased to be associated with the NASDAQ Stock Market as it is through them that we gain access to those investors who support research and development in novel therapies for medical disorders with high unmet needs, such as MS."
A live webcast of the NASDAQ Closing Bell will be available at: http://www.nasdaq.com/about/marketsitetowervideo.asx.
About Opexa
Opexa's mission is to lead the field of precision immunotherapy by aligning the interests of patients, employees and share holders. The Company's leading therapy candidate, Tcelna™, is a personalized T-cell immunotherapy that is in a Phase IIb clinical development program (the Abili-T trial) for the treatment of Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. Tcelna is derived from T-cells isolated from the patient's peripheral blood, expanded ex vivo, and reintroduced into the patients via subcutaneous injections. This process triggers a potent immune response against specific subsets of autoreactive T-cells known to attack myelin.
About Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic, inflammatory condition of the central nervous system and is the most common, non-traumatic, disabling neurological disease in young adults. It is estimated that approximately two million people have MS worldwide. While symptoms can vary, the most common symptoms of MS include blurred vision, numbness or tingling in the limbs and problems with strength and coordination. The relapsing forms of MS are the most common. The Secondary Progressive form of MS represents about a third of the MS patient population.
About Tcelna
Tcelna is a potential personalized therapy that is under development to be specifically tailored to each patient's disease profile. Tcelna is manufactured using ImmPath™, Opexa's proprietary method for the production of a patient-specific T-cell immunotherapy, which encompasses the collection of blood from the MS patient, isolation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, generation of an autologous pool of myelin-reactive T-cells (MRTCs) raised against selected peptides from myelin basic protein (MBP), myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) and proteolipid protein (PLP), and the return of these expanded, irradiated T-cells back to the patient. These attenuated T-cells are reintroduced into the patient via subcutaneous injection to trigger a therapeutic immune system response.
Opexa is currently conducting a Phase IIb study of Tcelna. Named "Abili-T," the trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study in patients who demonstrate evidence of disease progression with or without associated relapses. The trial is expected to enroll 180 patients at approximately 30 leading clinical sites in the U.S. and Canada with each patient receiving two annual courses of Tcelna treatment consisting of five subcutaneous injections per year. The trial's primary efficacy outcome is the percentage of brain volume change (atrophy) at 24 months. Study investigators will also measure several important secondary outcomes commonly associated with MS, including disease progression as measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), annualized relapse rate and changes in disability as measured by EDSS and the MS Functional Composite.
For more information visit the Opexa Therapeutics website at www.opexatherapeutics.com
Opexa Therapeutics, Inc.
Karthik Radhakrishnan, 281-775-0600
Chief Financial Officer
kradhakrishnan@opexatherapeutics.com
or
Investor Relations
The Trout Group
Adam Cutler, 646-378-2936
opexa@troutgroup.com
KEYWORDS: United States North America Texas
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