Syndax Appoints Lisa M. Coussens, Ph.D., To Scientific Advisory Board
WALTHAM, Mass., Jan. 31, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Syndax," the “Company” or "we") (Nasdaq:SNDX), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing entinostat and SNDX-6352 in multiple cancer indications, today announced the appointment of Lisa M. Coussens, Ph.D., to its Scientific Advisory Board.
Dr. Coussens currently serves as the Chair of the Department of Cell Developmental & Cancer Biology and Associate Director for Basic Research at the Knight Cancer Institute at the Oregon Health & Sciences University (OHSU). Through her research, she has identified critical immune-regulated pathways that can be targeted therapeutically to block or slow cancer development.
Additionally, Dr. Coussens holds the Hildegard Lamfrom Chair in Basic Science at OHSU and serves as an adjunct professor at the University of California, San Francisco. In recognition of her research contributions to studying underlying mechanisms of cancer development, Dr. Coussens was awarded a V Foundation Scholar Award (2000), the Gertrude B. Elion Award (2001), two Era of Hope Scholar Awards (2006, 2011), the AACR-Women in Cancer Research Charlotte Friend Memorial Lectureship (2012), and the 13th Rosalind E. Franklin Award from the NCI (2015). Dr. Coussens earned her doctorate in biological chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles.
"Lisa brings a significant wealth of both scientific and clinical knowledge to our scientific advisory board through her deep understanding of immune-regulated pathways in the tumor microenvironment," said Briggs W. Morrison, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Syndax. "Her expertise directly complements the depth of our existing advisory board, and will help in advancing the development of both entinostat and SNDX-6352 in multiple cancer indications. We welcome Dr. Coussens to the Syndax team, where we remain committed to our mission of realizing a future in which cancer patients live longer and better lives than previously possible."
About Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Syndax is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing an innovative pipeline of combination therapies in multiple cancer indications. Our lead product candidate, entinostat, which was granted Breakthrough Therapy designation by the FDA following positive results from our Phase 2b clinical trial, ENCORE 301, is currently being evaluated in a Phase 3 clinical trial for advanced hormone receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative breast cancer. Syndax is developing entinostat, which has direct effects on both cancer cells and immune regulatory cells, and SNDX-6352, an anti-CSF-1R monoclonal antibody, to enhance the body's immune response on tumors that have shown sensitivity to immunotherapy. Entinostat is being evaluated as a combination therapeutic in Phase 1b/2 clinical trials with Merck & Co., Inc. for non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma; with Genentech, Inc. for TNBC; and with Pfizer Inc. and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, for ovarian cancer. SNDX-6352 is being evaluated in a single ascending dose Phase 1 clinical trial and is expected to be developed to treat a variety of cancers. For more information on Syndax, please visit www.syndax.com.
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