August 3, 2010 (FinancialWire) (Go to http://www.financialwire.net/?s=ftrdnwswnd for all of today’s featured news.) — Repligen Corp. (NASDAQ: RGEN) said it has received three additional grants to support its research program to develop HDAC inhibitors for neurodegenerative diseases.

The company said it has received $436,000 in research funding to support the ongoing development of histone deacetylase inhibitors for Friedreich's ataxia.  The funding is comprised of $218,000 from the Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance and $218,000 from Go Friedreich's Ataxia Research.

Repligen said that the grants will support the synthesis and characterization of additional HDAC inhibitors in support of the development of a potential therapy for Friedreich's ataxia.  The company’s continued collaboration with FARA and GoFAR provides access to a global network of scientific thought leaders and patients and partially funds the development of our Friedreich's ataxia program.

In addition, The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has awarded a grant in the amount of $6.05 million over four years to The Scripps Research Institute and Repligen for the development of a novel HDAC inhibitor for Huntington's disease.

Repligen is part of a collaborative network receiving the grant and has the potential to receive $2.9 million based on successful completion of various milestones during the four year program.

Friedreich's ataxia is an inherited neurodegenerative disease caused by a single gene defect that results in inadequate production of the protein frataxin resulting symptoms that typically emerge between the ages of five and fifteen and often progress to severe disability, incapacitation or loss of life in early adulthood.

The symptoms include loss of strength and coordination in the arms and legs leading to wheelchair use, vision impairment, hearing loss and slurred speech, aggressive scoliosis, diabetes and a serious heart condition.

Huntington's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative genetic disorder that affects muscle coordination and leads to cognitive decline and dementia.  The disease is caused by a defective HTT gene, which provides instructions for making a protein called huntingtin.

Massachusetts-based

Repligen is a biopharmaceutical company focused on building an integrated company by developing and marketing innovative drugs that deliver the benefits of protein therapies in the fields of neurology and gastroenterology.

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