Biothera Expands Clinical Advisory Board
World Renowned Oncologists to Assist Clinical Development Program
EAGAN, MN — December 11, 2008 — Three world-renowned oncologists have joined the Biothera Clinical Advisory Board, the company announced today.
Dr. Roy Herbst, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center; Dr. Jerome Ritz, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; and Dr. Leonard Saltz, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; will assist with the clinical development program of Imprime PGG®, a non-chemotherapeutic drug that enhances monoclonal antibody efficacy through targeted innate immune cell activation.
“Together with our existing board members, we are extremely pleased to have the best minds in the field of oncology help guide our clinical development efforts,” said Daniel Conners, Biothera chairman and founder. “Their commitment to Biothera is a testament to the exciting potential of our technology.”
A brief bio of each new clinical advisory board member follows:
Roy S. Herbst, M.D., Ph.D.
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Dr. Herbst is Professor of Medicine and Chief of Section of Thoracic Medical Oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He received his Ph.D. in Molecular Cell Biology from Rockefeller University, his M.D. from Cornell University Medical College and master degrees from Harvard Medical School in Clinical Investigation/Medical Science. His research focus is on the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancers.
Jerome Ritz, M.D.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dr. Ritz is Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Professor of Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; and Director, Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Harvard Cancer Center, Boston. Dr. Ritz received his M.D. from Chicago Medical School, followed by residency in internal medicine at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals, Madison. He completed a clinical fellowship in hematology and oncology at Beth Israel Hospital, and a research fellowship at Dana-Faber Cancer Institute. Dr. Ritz also has a M.A. from Harvard University.
Leonard B. Saltz, M.D.
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Dr. Saltz is a Member of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Attending Physician at Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases, New York, NY. A Professor of Medicine at Cornell University’s Weill College of Medicine, Dr. Saltz is an internationally recognized expert in the development of new treatments for colorectal cancer. He received his doctorate from Yale University School of Medicine and completed residencies at The New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Saltz completed fellowships at The New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center, The Rockefeller University. He was instrumental in the development of Erbitux®, a monoclonal antibody from ImClone Systems.
Existing members of the Biothera Clinical Advisory Board are:
Dr. Arkadiusz Dudek, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Minnesota
Dr. Dudek is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Clinical Trials Office in the Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation Division at the University of Minnesota. He received his M.D. from the Medical University of Warsaw, Poland. Dr. Dudek completed his internal medicine residency in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and subspecialty training in Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation at the University of Minnesota. He received his Ph.D. from Military Medical Academy of Warsaw.
Michael R. Kurman, M.D.
Michael Kurman Consulting
Dr. Kurman is President of Michael Kurman Consulting and advises numerous pharmaceutical development companies, including Avalon Pharmaceuticals, Thallion Pharmaceuticals and Locus Pharmaceuticals. He previously held several senior clinical research positions at Quintiles, US Bioscience and Cytogen Corporation. Dr. Kurman received his M.D. from Cornell University Medical College.
Richard H. Patt, M.D.
Foresight Consulting
Dr. Patt has more than 15 years of experience as both an academic and clinical radiologist, in managed care, and in directing clinical development programs. Dr. Patt was Director, Magnetic Resonance Imaging at Georgetown University Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Radiology. He has been internationally recognized for his research using MRI for breast cancer detection, and served on the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Breast MRI Advisory Board. Dr. Patt received his M.D. from Georgetown University School of Medicine, where he completed both his radiology residency and subspecialty fellowship.
“The advice and counsel of these leaders in oncology and radiology will be a significant benefit to Biothera in the development of Imprime PGG,” said Conners.
About Imprime PGG
Imprime PGG is a novel immunotherapy that works in concert with anti-tumor monoclonal antibodies to activate a large population of the body’s innate immune cells to kill cancer cells. As a platform therapeutic in oncology, Imprime PGG has the potential to improve patient response rates for existing monoclonal antibody therapies in approved indications, create new indications for these drugs and enhance the efficacy of development-stage monoclonal antibody drugs.
Imprime PGG has demonstrated a strong safety profile in multiple Phase I clinical trials. Biothera is currently conducting a dual-arm, open-label Phase Ib/IIa clinical trial in metastatic colorectal cancer patients in combination with Erbitux with and without chemotherapy. Biothera is also commencing two Phase II studies in Non Small Cell Lung Cancer patients in early 2009. One trial will evaluate Imprime PGG in combination with Avastin® and chemotherapy and the other will study Imprime PGG in combination with Erbitux and chemotherapy.
About Biothera, the Immune Health Company
Biothera is a biotechnology company dedicated to improving immune health. The company is developing pharmaceuticals that target, direct and activate the innate immune system to fight cancer.
Contact:
David Walsh
VP Communications
Biothera, the Immune Health Company
651-256-4606 (direct)
dwalsh@biothera.com