AmpliPhi Bio Establishes Scientific Advisory Board And Appoints Dr. Timothy Lu Of MIT And Broad Institute As SAB Chairman

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AmpliPhi Biosciences Corporation (NYSE MKT: APHB), a global leader in the development of bacteriophage-based therapies to treat drug-resistant bacterial infections, announces the formation of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) and the appointment of Timothy K. Lu, M.D., Ph.D., as Chairman of the SAB. Dr. Lu heads the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Synthetic Biology Group in the Research Laboratory of Electronics, where he applies proprietary engineering techniques to biological systems, including bacteriophages, to address global concerns such as the growing incidence of antibiotic resistance.

“Antibiotic-resistant infections are one of humanity’s greatest challenges, with many thousands of patients desperately in need of novel antimicrobial treatments”

“In 2017, AmpliPhi plans to initiate phage therapy studies in several patient groups, which we expect will mark a key inflection point for AmpliPhi and the phage therapy field,” said M. Scott Salka, CEO of AmpliPhi Biosciences. “We are assembling our SAB to help guide us as we advance our product development activities and it’s particularly gratifying to have Dr. Lu, a leader in synthetic biology, as our SAB Chairman. Dr. Lu’s imaginative approaches to phage engineering and his dedication to addressing unmet clinical needs make him an invaluable resource, and we look forward to his input as we endeavor to deliver relief and benefit to patients with antibiotic-resistant infections.”

“Antibiotic-resistant infections are one of humanity’s greatest challenges, with many thousands of patients desperately in need of novel antimicrobial treatments,” said Dr. Lu. “Phage technology shows significant promise in both destroying bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and in re-sensitizing these drug-resistant populations to antibiotics. I’m delighted to chair AmpliPhi’s Scientific Advisory Board and assist in translating this technology from the research stage to the clinic.”

In addition to heading the Synthetic Biology Group, Dr. Lu is Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and in the Department of Biological Engineering at MIT and is an Associate Member of the Broad Institute. He received undergraduate and master of engineering degrees from MIT, an M.D. from Harvard Medical School, and a Ph.D. from the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology Medical Engineering and Medical Physics Program. He has won the NIH New Innovator Award, the NSF CAREER Award, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), Young Investigator Prizes from the Army and Navy, the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize, and Grand Prize in the National Inventor Hall of Fame’s Collegiate Inventors Competition. He was named to the 2010 TR35 for “Top Young Innovators Under 35” by Technology Review. Dr. Lu is a frequent speaker on phage technology at prominent scientific conferences and has authored multiple phage-related articles published in peer-reviewed journals.

About Bacteriophages

Bacteriophages, or more simply “phages,” are the natural predators of bacteria and are thought to be the most abundant life form on earth. Over eons, phages have evolved an incredible diversity of specialist strains that typically prey upon just one strain of bacteria, enabling phage therapies to precisely target pathogenic bacteria while sparing the beneficial microbiota. Phages can infect and kill bacteria, whether they are antibiotic-resistant or not, and even when they have formed protective biofilms.

About AmpliPhi Biosciences

AmpliPhi Biosciences Corporation is a biotechnology company pioneering the development and commercialization of therapies for antibiotic-resistant infections, using bacteriophage-based technology. AmpliPhi’s product development programs target infections that are often resistant to some or all of existing antibiotic treatments. AmpliPhi has reported final results from two Phase 1 clinical trials of AB-SA01, one for the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in chronic rhinosinusitis patients and one to evaluate the safety of AB-SA01 when administered topically to the intact skin of healthy adults. AmpliPhi is also developing bacteriophage therapeutics targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) in collaboration with a number of leading research organizations. For more information, visit www.ampliphibio.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements about the potential use of bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections, including infections that do not respond to antibiotics, the potential benefits of phage therapy, and AmpliPhi’s development of bacteriophage-based therapies. Words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “expect,” “intend,” “will,” “may,” “goal,” “potential” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, though not all forward-looking statements necessarily contain these identifying words. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements are risks and uncertainties associated with AmpliPhi’s business and financial condition and the other risks and uncertainties described in AmpliPhi’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2016, as filed with the SEC, and other filings with the SEC. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, and AmpliPhi undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release.