Cervix cancer represents 10% of all malignant neoplasms diagnosed in women and is the second leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. In Chile cervix cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women constituting a major public health problem. This joint project aims to develop an experimental antisense therapy targeted against tumor cells of cervix cancer. Antisense therapy is based on the use of a composition of antisense oligonucleotides complementary to non-coding mitochondrial RNAs that selectively induce the death of malignant cells. This experimental treatment will be evaluated both in vitro and at the pre-clinical level, using a cervix cancer xenograft mouse model. The project is expected to run for a period of 3 years with a total funding of ~ USD $1.000.000. Research and Clinical experts from both, Fundación Ciencia & Vida and Fundación Arturo Lopez Perez, respectively will also collaborate to ensure the highest quality research and clinical application of this proof of concept therapy is achieved.

About Fundación Ciencia & Vida (FCV)
Founded in 1997 as a non-profit organization, Fundación acts as a bridge between the productive and academic sectors in Chile and with international partners abroad. Fundación's R&D programs enjoy a leading position in the biotechnology sector both, in Chile and abroad. Its world-class research, its commitment to effective training of human resources in science and its productive connections with international research groups, has allowed FCV to become one of Chile's most innovative research centers in the life sciences arena.

About Fundación Arturo López Pérez (FALP)
Founded in 1955 as a non-profit organization, FALP is a leading Center of Excellence in Cancer, offering a comprehensive array of clinical, diagnostics, treatments, research and educational programs specifically focused on oncology.

BioCentury Publications, Inc. is internationally recognized as the leading provider of information, analysis and data for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, investors, academia and government on the strategic issues essential to the formation, development and sustainability of life science ventures. BioCentury's Editorial and management team includes executives with backgrounds in international business, publishing, finance, and the biotech and pharmaceutical industries.

Cristián Hernández-Cuevas, CEO of Andes Biotechnologies commented, "We are very pleased with the progress our core technology is having. Obviously, gaining protection on our intellectual property is an important step in the process that strongly validates our research and development efforts. I am confident that Andes' drug candidates have the potential of treating many types of cancer in a way that is both safe and efficacious”.

About Andes Biotechnologies
The company was founded in Chile to research and develop innovative and effective treatments against cancer. Andes Biotechnologies has developed a new proprietary technology based on the discovery of a novel family of RNA targets of mitochondrial origin whose disruption by RNAi, or antisense technology, selectively destroy cancer cells. The company is leveraging the value of this technology with a management team with significant experience in biotech product development, an outstanding RNA research team and a robust network of key national and international collaborators in the cancer field. For more information visit: www.andesbio.com

The round, which netted US$4 million, will allow Andes to pursue its plans to advance novel oncological therapies based on mitochondrial RNAs to the clinic. Participating investors in the financing round were the venture capital firms Aurus Bios and Austral Capital. Alex Seelenberger,  Aurus Bios’ Fund Manager mentioned: “we are pleased to invest in such an innovative company that has all the right ingredients for our Life Sciences fund.  We believe that this technology has the potential to completely revolutionize the way the war on Cancer has been fought to date”. Similarly, Austral Capital’s General Partner, Felipe Camposano added “Andes is a company with global potential, a breakthrough technology and managed by a worldclass team”.

The founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Luis Burzio has led the company’s research to develop a family of anti-cancer drugs.  The breakthrough here is based on the discovery of a novel family of RNA targets of mitochondrial origin, that when inactivated by means of antisense or RNA interference (RNAi) technologies, selectively destroy cancer cells without affecting normal cells. Dr. Pablo Valenzuela, founder and chairman of the Board said: “The race for safe and effective drugs against Cancer is a worldwide quest, and with Andes’ core technology, we have a chance to become a significant contributor to the fight against leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and melanoma amongst other types of Cancer”

Andes’ CEO, Cristian Hernandez-Cuevas referred to this venture as “…the beginning of an exciting adventure where a biotechnology company from an unexpected place -like Chile- can play a significant role in the fight against Cancer”. Andes’ efforts will be focused on continuing its studies of efficacy in Cancer animal models and toxicology to obtain data required for a future application for human clinical testing under de Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Investigational New Drug or IND process. The IND process requires testing the new therapies in small and large animals to provide guidance on the safety and efficacy of the potential treatment.

About Andes Biotechnologies (www.andesbio.com)

The aim of Andes Biotechnologies is to carry out research and development of new anticancer therapies based on the inactivation of novel non-coding mitochondrial RNA targets through anti-sense and/or RNAi technology. Andes has a portfolio of 9 patent applications in key markets around the world, covering the diagnostic and therapeutic uses of non-coding mitochondrial RNA oligonucleotides which have the potential of selectively eliminating tumor cells without harming normal cells in many Cancer types. The company has a management team with extensive experience in drug development and biotechnology research, which has successfully developed, patented and registered products currently marketed in the U.S. and Europe.

About Aurus Bios (www.aurus.cl)

Aurus Bios –a fully owned subsidiary of Aurus S.A.– is the first Chilean Venture Capital Fund that invests exclusively in Life Sciences, analyzing investments that range from biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and medical devices, to nutraceuticals, wellness, agbio and industrial biotech among others.  The Fund is both focused on financing the different stages of intellectual property development as well as providing growth capital for emerging companies.  The fund’s team brings together years of experience in Life Sciences, and is fully committed to delivering solid results to its investors and portfolio companies.

About Austral Capital (www.australcap.com)

Austral Capital Partners, with presence in Santiago-Chile and Palo Alto-California, is the first Chilean Venture Capital firm to invest exclusively in regional biotechnology and information technology companies. Austral Capital focuses on identifying globally scalable, high growth technology entrepreneurs and catalyzes the success of its portfolio companies by active board participation, funding support and access to influential networks. Austral is actively con-investing with local and US based VC firms. Its current portfolio is composed of nine technology based companies with operations in Chile, US, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.

Contact Information
Cristian Hernandez-Cuevas, CEO
c.hernandez@andesbio.com
T: +56 (0) 2 367 2000