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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported) August 3, 1999
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BOSTON LIFE SCIENCES, INC.
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(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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Delaware 0-6533 87-0277826
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(State or other jurisdiction of (Commission (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
incorporation or organization) File No.)
137 Newbury Street
8th Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02116
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(Address of principal executive Zip Code
offices)
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Registrant's telephone number, including area code (617) 425-0200
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Item 5. Other Events.
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On August 3, 1999, the Company announced that it had identified and purified a
fragment of Troponin I that accounted for all of the biologic activity of the
native Troponin I. This fragment, designated BLS 0597, was approximately 10
times more soluble and demonstrated 10 times the in vitro activity of Troponin,
and was easily purified in the laboratory. A "Composition of Matter" patent
covering BLS 0597 and other fragments was recently filed by the Company. The
Company believes that the potential for dose reduction, ease of manufacturing,
and enhanced patient compliance could result in BLS 0597 becoming the lead
clinical and commercial formulation. The Company does not expect such findings
to significantly effect the design or timing of the Troponin clinical trials.
Item 7. Exhibits.
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The following Exhibits are filed as part of this report on Form 8-K:
99.1 Press Release, dated August 3, 1999.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto authorized.
BOSTON LIFE SCIENCES, INC.
Dated: August 5, 1999 By: /s/Joseph Hernon
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Joseph Hernon
Chief Financial Officer
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BOSTON LIFE SCIENCES, INC.
CURRENT REPORT ON FORM 8-K
EXHIBIT INDEX
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Exhibit No. Page
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99.1 Press Release, dated August 3, 1999 4
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Exhibit 99.1
BOSTON LIFE SCIENCES ANNOUNCES ANALOGUE OF TROPONIN I WITH GREATLY ENHANCED
BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND REPORTS RESULTS IN EXPERIMENTAL SARCOMA
METASTASES
Boston, Mass.--August 3, 1999--Boston Life Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLSI)
announced that in the course of the company's continued development work on its
anti-angiogenic protein Troponin I, it had identified and purified a fragment,
or analogue of Troponin I that accounted for all of the biologic activity of the
native Troponin I. This fragment (designated BLS 0597), containing the C-
terminal half of the molecule, had approximately 10 times the in vitro activity
of the parent molecule, was 10 times more soluble, and was easily purified in
the laboratory in its active configuration. A "Composition of Matter" patent
covering BLS 0597 and other fragments of Troponin was recently filed, the
company said.
"We view this as a second-generation product with many potential benefits,"
stated Marc Lanser, MD, chief scientific officer of BLSI. "If the results of our
in vivo testing of 0597 continue to exceed the excellent results published
recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) for whole
Troponin, 0597 could evolve as our lead clinical and commercial formulation. The
potential for dose reduction, ease of manufacturing, and enhanced patient
compliance are all there with 0597," added Dr. Lanser.
"However, as important as this further progress in optimizing the value of
Troponin may be, we do not expect such findings to effect significantly the
design or timing of the Troponin clinical trials. Our current plan is to
initiate Phase I/II studies in breast cancer and sarcomas (including melanoma)
as soon as possible. Our parallel pre-clinical studies with 0597 should not
significantly affect that schedule. Our recent decision to add patients with
sarcoma to the breast cancer study was based on the excellent experimental
results already published in PNAS, as well as a recently completed study in
animals injected with a human sarcoma (an inherently aggressive type of cancer).
In that study, total volume of metastases from sarcoma was reduced from
approximately 169 cubic millimeters to less than 9 cubic millimeters in mice
treated twice weekly with 0.25 milligrams of Troponin for 28 days.
To our knowledge, this degree of suppression of metastatic tumor burden has not
previously been achieved with experimental anti-angiogenic therapy," added Dr.
Lanser.
About Boston Life Sciences, Inc.
BLSI is developing novel treatments for cancer, autoimmune disease, and central
nervous system disorders. In addition to Troponin I, products awaiting FDA
review, in clinical trials or in preclinical development by BLSI include
Therafectin(R) for the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis; AF-1 for the potential
treatment of stroke and spinal cord injury; Altropane(TM), a radioimaging agent
for the diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD); and transcription factors that may control the expression of
molecules associated with autoimmune disease and allergies.
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The foregoing contains forward-looking statements with regard to product
development timelines, timing of clinical trials, commercial viability, and
regulatory filings, which may not be realized due to the uncertainties inherent
in the research and development process.
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