ACC Presentation Indicates IL-1 Gene Variants Determine Increased Risk for Coronary Artery Disease
03/27/2007
ACC Presentation Indicates Interleukin-1 Gene Variants Determine Increased Risk for Coronary Artery Disease from Oxidized Phospholipids
Waltham, MA, March 27, 2007 - Interleukin Genetics, Inc. (AMEX:ILI) and collaborators at the University of California San Diego today reported at the American College of Cardiology annual meeting that associations between coronary artery disease (CAD) and both oxidized phospholipids (OxPL) and Lp(a) levels appear to be dependent on pro-inflammatory variants of the interleukin-1 (IL-1) genes.
In a presentation titled “The Influence of Oxidized Phospholipids and Lp(a) Lipoprotein on Coronary Artery Disease Is Conditional Upon Genotype at the Interleukin-1 Region,” the investigators reported that in patients with the pro-inflammatory IL-1 genotypes, higher levels of OxPL or Lp(a) were associated with significantly increased risk for CAD (P<0.01). This effect was strongly accentuated in patients less than 60 years old (P=0.0001). In contrast, patients who did not express, the pro-inflammatory IL-1 genotypes demonstrated no association between OxPL levels and CAD. These findings were found to be independent of other standard risk factors, including C-reactive protein.
“Oxidized phospholipids play a critical role in the initiation and progression of cardiovascular disease. These new data suggest a novel and clinically relevant biological link between pro-inflammatory IL-1 genotypes, oxidation of phospholipids and predisposition to CAD in younger individuals,” said Sotirios Tsimikas, M.D., Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine and Director of Vascular Medicine, University of California San Diego.
The study was conducted under the direction of Drs. Joseph Witztum and Sotirios Tsimikas from the Divisions of Endocrinology and Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, University of California San Diego and involved collaborators from Interleukin Genetics, the University of Sheffield, England and the Geisinger Center for Health Research.
About Interleukin Genetics
Interleukin Genetics, Inc. is focused on developing, acquiring, and commercializing personalized health products that can help individuals improve and maintain their health through preventive measures. It uses functional genomics to help in the development of risk assessment tests based on the genetic variations in people. The Company also develops and markets nutritional and OTCeutical® products. Interleukin has commercialized genetic tests for periodontal disease risk assessment, cardiovascular risk assessment, and general nutrition assessment. In addition, through its Alan James Group subsidiary which it acquired in August 2006, Interleukin sells its nutritional product brands, including Ginkoba®, Ginsana®, and Venastat® through the nation’s largest food, drug and mass retailers. The Company’s current development programs focus on osteoporosis and weight management genetic risk assessment tests, as well as its new proprietary OTCeuticals for distribution through Alan James Group. The Company expects that these programs will also lead to the personalized selection of nutritional products, and provide consumers and healthcare professionals with better preventive product alternatives. For more information about Interleukin and its ongoing programs, please visit http://www.ilgenetics.com.
Certain statements contained herein are “forward-looking” statements including statements regarding our ability to develop diagnostic, personalized nutritional and therapeutic products to prevent or treat diseases of inflammation and other genetic variations, our ability to screen nutritional compounds for their effects on inflammatory responses and other genetic variations, given specific genetic patterns, our ability to make progress in advancing our core technologies, and our expectations regarding fiscal year 2006 revenues and gross profit margins of our nutritional supplement products. Because such statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the risk of market acceptance of our products, the risk of technology and product obsolescence, delays in product development, the performance of our commercial partners, the availability of adequate capital, the actions of our competitors and other competitive risks, our ability to integrate acquired businesses, our ability to maintain relationships with our important customers, and those risks and uncertainties described in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other filings made by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We disclaim any obligation or intention to update these forward-looking statements.
For Interleukin Genetics:
Paul Voegelin
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