RegeneRx Receives Australian Patent for Inhibition or Reversal of Skin Aging by...

BETHESDA, Md. -- REGENERX BIOPHARMACEUTICALS, INC. (AMEX:RGN) (www.regenerx.com) reported today that a patent related to actin-sequestering (regulating) peptides that may have potential benefits in preventing or reversing skin aging has been issued in Australia. The patent, which expires in 2021,

The company's technology platform has many potential applications in both the pharmaceutical and consumer products sectors. Thymosin beta 4 (TI[sup.2]4), which is currently being studied in phase II human clinical trials, is the major actin-sequestering molecule in mammalian cells and has demonstrated the ability to accelerate dermal and ophthalmic wound healing and protect heart tissue following myocardial infarction in animal models. RegeneRx has synthesized novel actin-regulating variants of TI[sup.2]4 that have different properties, including the potential to inhibit or reverse skin aging. J.J. Finkelstein, RegeneRx's president and chief executive officer, concluded, "These effects, among others, are claimed in the Australian patent and would provide substantial protection upon commercialization of any of these new molecules. We are pleased that our patent portfolio continues to expand and support the potential product opportunities derived from our technology platform."

The RegeneRx Technology Platform

TI[sup.2]4 is a synthetic version of a naturally occurring peptide present in virtually all human cells. It is a first-in-class drug candidate that promotes endothelial cell differentiation, angiogenesis in dermal tissues, keratinocyte migration, collagen deposition, and down-regulates inflammation. One of TI[sup.2]4's key mechanisms of action is its ability to regulate the cell-building protein, actin, a vital component of cell structure and movement. Of the thousands of proteins in cells, actin represents up to 10% of the total protein and, thus, plays a major role in the physiology of the cell. RegeneRx has identified several molecular variations of TI[sup.2]4 that may affect the aging of skin, among other properties, and could be important candidates as active ingredients in pharmaceutical and consumer products. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health, and at other academic institutions throughout the U.S., have published numerous scientific articles indicating that TI[sup.2]4 is effective in accelerating dermal and corneal wound healing in several animal models, under a variety of conditions. In an article published in the scientific journal, Nature, researchers found that TI[sup.2]4 protects heart tissue following a myocardial infarction (heart attack) in laboratory animals. Abstracts of scientific papers related to TI[sup.2]4's mechanisms of action may be viewed at RegeneRx's web page: www.regenerx.com.

About RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.

RegeneRx is focused on the discovery and development of novel molecules to accelerate tissue and organ repair. Currently, RegeneRx is developing TI[sup.2]4, a 43 amino acid peptide, under an exclusive world-wide license from the National Institutes of Health. Preliminary research suggests that TI[sup.2]4 may prove efficacious for multiple indications; therefore RegeneRx is developing TI[sup.2]4 as a therapeutic platform. RegeneRx holds nearly sixty world-wide patents and patent applications related to dermal, ocular, and internal wounds and tissue repair, cardiac and neurological injuries, and septic shock. RegeneRx is currently sponsoring three Phase II chronic dermal wound healing clinical trials and has additionally targeted ophthalmic and cardiac trials in 2007 as part of its ongoing clinical development program.