DUBLIN, Calif., May 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SuperGen Inc. today announced that it has convened the first meeting of its newly formed Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).
The SAB is composed of three external and two Company scientists with expertise in the field of oncology whose role will be to help guide and counsel the Company as it advances its clinical programs, such as the recently announced MP470 Phase I study, and as the Company bolsters its pipeline through its proprietary CLIMB(TM) drug discovery engine.
"As we continue to discover promising drug candidates and move them into the clinic, it is crucial that we subject our discovery processes and lead drugs to the scrutiny of an experienced SAB having vast knowledge of the intricacies of oncology research and development," said James S. Manuso, Ph.D., Chairman, President and CEO of SuperGen. "The five members of our newly formed SAB have extensive expertise in structural biology, computational chemistry, cancer research and therapeutics development. We are honored to have them on our team. Their advice will add considerable value to our discovery and development efforts in the years ahead."
SuperGen's Scientific Advisory Board will consist of: -- Allan R. Goldberg, Ph.D., Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board, adds expertise in commercial development in his current role as managing partner of The Channel Group LLC (TCG), a global life science venture management and strategic advisory organization. A former professor at The Rockefeller University, he has served as a consultant to several large pharmaceutical companies. He has advised numerous public and private academic institutions and he has held senior management roles in industry, including Chief Scientific Officer and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Innovir Laboratories, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed biotechnology company. Dr. Goldberg has served as a member of the SuperGen Board of Directors since March 2005. -- David J. Bearss, Ph.D., Vice President and Chief Scientist of SuperGen Inc., oversees drug discovery operations of the company and is a recognized expert in the discovery and development of targeted small molecule therapeutics and the use of genetic model systems in drug discovery and development. -- Roger D. Kornberg, Ph.D., is a Winzer Professor in Medicine in the Department of Structural Biology at Stanford University. Dr. Kornberg's research has focused on the mechanism and regulation of eukaryotic gene transcription. Notable findings include the demonstration of the role of nucleosomes in transcriptional regulation, the establishment of a yeast RNA polymerase II transcription system and the isolation of all proteins involved, and the atomic structure determination of an RNA polymerase II transcribing complex. He is the 2006 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. -- Daniel Von Hoff, M.D., is well-known for his work in the development of some of the most widely accepted anticancer agents. Currently, he is Chief Physician and Director of Translational Research at TGen (Translational Genomics Research Institute) in Phoenix, Arizona, as well as Clinical Professor of Medicine, Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona. He also serves as Chief Scientific Officer for both US Oncology and Scottsdale Healthcare's Clinical Research Institute and he serves on President Bush's National Cancer Advisory Board. -- Robert A. Weinberg, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized authority on the genetic basis of human cancer and a founding member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he and his colleagues isolated the first human cancer-causing gene, as well as the first tumor suppressor gene. In addition, he is the Daniel K. Ludwig Professor for Cancer Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the first Director of the Ludwig Cancer Center at MIT.
About SuperGen
Based in Dublin, Calif., SuperGen is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, rapid development and commercialization of therapies for solid tumors and hematological malignancies. SuperGen is developing a number of therapeutic anticancer products focused on kinase and cell signaling inhibitors and DNA methyltransferase inhibitors. For more information about SuperGen, please visit http://www.supergen.com
This press release contains "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 21A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and is subject to the safe harbor created thereby. The actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding the ability of our products to enter clinical trials and the potential validation of our discovery process to produce new compounds. SuperGen's products may not enter clinical trials and even if these products do enter clinical testing there is no assurance that these tests will be successful. Additionally, the early successes in preclinical work may not be a validation of our discovery process and past success may not predict future success. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include, but are not limited to, the risk factors detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including reports on its most recently filed Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. These forward- looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any obligation to update or revise the information contained in any such forward- looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contacts: SuperGen SuperGen Timothy L. Enns Mary M. Vegh S.V.P., Corporate Communications Manager, Investor Relations & Business Development (925) 560-2845 (925) 560-0100 mary.vegh@supergen.comtenns@supergen.com
SuperGen Inc.CONTACT: Timothy L. Enns, S.V.P., Corporate Communications & BusinessDevelopment, +1-925-560-0100, tenns@supergen.com; or Mary M. Vegh, Manager,Investor Relations, +1-925-560-2845, mary.vegh@supergen.com, both ofSuperGen
Web site: http://www.supergen.com//
