GAINESVILLE, Fla., and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 09, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq:AGTC), a biotechnology company conducting human clinical trials of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapies for the treatment of rare diseases, today announced that it will host a Research Day in New York City on June 21, 2016. AGTC management will be joined by two of its scientific collaborators to discuss the range of ophthalmology clinical endpoints, how they are measured, how they define and describe the vision experienced by the patient, and how results in AGTC’s clinical development programs could be reported.
A live webcast of the presentation will be accessible by visiting ir.agtc.com/events.cfm. A replay will be available on AGTC’s website for at least 30 days following the event.
Event
Date: June 21, 2016
Time: 7:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. EDT (Registration beginning at 7:00 a.m.)
Speakers
- Byron Lam, M.D., Professor of Ophthalmology, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
- David Birch, Ph.D., Chief Scientific and Executive Officer at the Retina Foundation of the Southwest, Adjunct Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
- Sue Washer, President and CEO, AGTC
- Jeff Chulay, M.D., DTM&H, VP and Chief Medical Officer, AGTC
- Mark Shearman , Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, AGTC
- Matt Feinsod, M.D., Product Development Officer, AGTC
Analysts and institutional investors seeking more information about the meeting should contact Matt Ventimigila at MVentimiglia@lazarpartners.com or by phone at 212-599-1265.
About AGTC
AGTC is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that uses its proprietary gene therapy platform to develop products designed to transform the lives of patients with severe diseases, with an initial focus in ophthalmology. AGTC's lead product candidates are designed to treat inherited orphan diseases of the eye, caused by mutations in single genes that significantly affect visual function and currently lack effective medical treatments.
AGTC's product pipeline includes six named ophthalmology development programs across five targets (X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS), X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP), achromatopsia, wet age-related macular degeneration and blue cone monochromacy), two non-ophthalmology programs (alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and adrenoleukodystrophy) and AGTC is continuing to develop early research studies in additional indications. The company is also exploring genetic defects in cells in the inner ear that lead to deafness and expects to advance several product candidates into development within the next few years. AGTC employs a highly targeted approach to selecting and designing its product candidates, choosing to develop therapies for indications having high unmet medical need, clinical feasibility and commercial potential. AGTC has a significant intellectual property portfolio and extensive expertise in the design of gene therapy products including capsids, promoters and expression cassettes, as well as, expertise in the formulation, manufacture and physical delivery of gene therapy products
Forward Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements that reflect AGTC's plans, estimates, assumptions and beliefs. These statements relate to a variety of matters, including but not limited to, the anticipated utility of AAV vectors made using AGTC's proprietary manufacturing method in the treatment of various therapeutic indications. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts and can be identified by terms such as "anticipates," "believes," "could," "seeks," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "may," "plans," "potential," "predicts," "projects," "should," "will," "would" or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, due to a number of important factors, which include, but are not limited to, the following: no gene therapy products have been approved in the United States and AGTC cannot predict when or if it will obtain regulatory approval to commercialize a product candidate; AGTC relies on third parties to conduct research, conduct, supervise and monitor its clinical trials and to conduct certain aspects of its product manufacturing and protocol development; and increased regulatory scrutiny of gene therapy and genetic research could damage public perception of AGTC's product candidates or adversely affect AGTC's ability to conduct its business. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements are set forth under the heading "Item 1A—Risk Factors" in AGTC's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015, as filed with the SEC. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Also, forward-looking statements represent management's plans, estimates, assumptions and beliefs only as of the date of this release. Except as required by law, AGTC assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.