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Update on lead anti-cancer antibody program targeting CD44, a cancer stem
cell antigen
TORONTO, June 6 /CNW/ - ARIUS Research Inc., (TSX: ARI), a biotechnology company discovering and developing the next wave of antibody therapeutics, today announced the appointment of Robert Gundel, Ph.D., MBA, to the position of Chief Scientific Officer.
Dr. Gundel brings to ARIUS more than 25 years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining ARIUS, Dr. Gundel held executive management roles at significant biopharmaceutical companies including Bayer, Chiron, and XOMA. In his most recent role, he was Vice President, Scientific Corporate Development at XOMA, a leader in the discovery, development and manufacture of therapeutic antibodies. In this role, he provided corporate leadership to key areas of XOMA's business, including business development and specialized projects.
"The appointment of Dr. Gundel as Chief Scientific Officer is a significant addition to the expertise of the ARIUS management team," said Dr. David S. Young, President and Chief Executive Officer of ARIUS. "With his strong leadership background and extensive experience in product development, we look forward to his contributions to the advancement of our three lead programs into human clinical trials."
Dr. Gundel holds a Ph.D. in Physiology from New York Medical College and an MBA from St. Mary's College of California. He has published more than 60 articles in peer reviewed journals and book chapters, served on the editorial board of several journals, and is a co-inventor on several issued U.S. patents.
Update on ARIUS' cancer stem cell program targeting CD44
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ARIUS' lead drug candidate has been transferred to a contract manufacturer (CMO) to prepare drug supplies for human trials. Avid Biosciences Inc., the Company's antibody manufacturer, has successfully completed scale up in preparation for pilot toxicology studies this summer and IND enabling work. The cancer target for this drug program, CD44, has been implicated as a cancer stem cell marker in several cancers including breast and prostate cancers.
"The successful completion of this step represents a milestone in the preclinical process and further emphasizes ARIUS' continuing commitment to initiating human clinical trials in 2008," added Dr. Young.
About ARIUS
ARIUS is a biotechnology company discovering and developing the next wave of antibody therapeutics. Established in 1999, ARIUS has built a proprietary technology platform, FunctionFIRST(TM), that rapidly identifies and selects antibodies based on their functional ability to affect disease. This antibody generation engine has enabled ARIUS to assemble a portfolio of more than 400 antibody candidates. In addition to the antibodies it is developing in-house, ARIUS has ongoing partnerships with key biotechnology and drug development companies. ARIUS is listed on the TSX under the symbol "ARI". For further information, visit www.ariusresearch.com
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to, ARIUS successfully advancing its new product programs as well as licensing opportunities. These statements are only predictions and actual events or results may differ materially. Factors that could cause such actual events or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by such statements include, but are not limited to: early stage of development; technology and product development; dependence on and management of current and future corporate collaborations; future capital needs; uncertainty of additional funding; no assurance of market acceptance; dependence on proprietary technology and uncertainty of patent protection; intense competition; manufacturing and market uncertainties; and government regulation. These and other factors are described in detail in ARIUS' Annual Report, forthcoming news releases and other filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities available at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and ARIUS is not obligated to update such information to reflect later events or developments.
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