Houston, TX, June 02, 2017 --(PR.com)-- Pulmotect, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing and commercializing a fast-acting inhalant designed to treat respiratory infections, today announced the formation of a Scientific Advisory Board comprised of academic and industry experts in respiratory research and care. Members of the board, from both the United States and Europe, convened with Pulmotect’s management team to discuss the company’s business strategy for its lead product candidate, PUL-042.
“The insight from this esteemed group of thought leaders is instrumental as we prepare to launch our third clinical trial and actively pursue Series B funding,” said Nestor Molfino, M.D., Pulmotect’s chief executive officer. “With their guidance, we were able to ratify our clinical development strategy to focus on COPD as the lead indication for PUL-042 and will continue to explore the treatment of pneumonia in cancer patients as well as treatment of severe influenza infection as additional indications.”
Inaugural members of Pulmotect’s Scientific Advisory Board include:
· Gerard J. Criner, MD, FACP, FACCP
Chair and Professor, Thoracic Medicine and Surgery, Temple University
An internationally recognized researcher and project leader of several multimillion-dollar National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants, Dr. Criner has overseen numerous advances in pulmonary and critical care research over his academic career. He is recognized as a worldwide expert on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and the management of intensive-care unit patients. During his tenure at Temple, Dr. Criner has been instrumental in the development and success of the Department of Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine, which has consistently ranked as one of the top programs in the nation.
· Burton F. Dickey, M.D.
Chair of the Pulmonary Department at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Dr. Dickey is a co-founder of Pulmotect and an inventor of the original platform technology. He is an experienced bench investigator with more than 30 years of independent research. Dr. Dickey has served on multiple NIH study sections, is an active clinician, participates in several clinical research programs and serves on the advisory board of multiple companies.
· Scott E. Evans, M.D., F.C.C.P
Associate Professor, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Dr. Evans is a physician-scientist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. A pulmonary medicine expert with a specialized interest in pneumonia, he runs an NIH-funded laboratory that investigates innate immune responses in the lungs. Work in Dr Evans’ laboratory lead to the discovery of Pulmotect’s lead compound, PUL-042. His team remains focused on exploring the mechanisms that underlie inducible resistance, in order to efficiently harness the remarkable protection associated with this phenomenon.
· Tim Higenbottam, DSc, MD, MA, FRCP, FFPM
Vice President Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine at Royal College of Physicians London
Visiting Professor, Sheffield University
Tim Higenbottam is a recognized expert in Respiratory Medicine, including asthma, and has extensive experience in clinical development and regulatory affairs from within the pharmaceutical industry and academia. He was Professor of Medicine at Sheffield University from 1995 and 2001. At Chiesi Farmaceutici, he was Director of Corporate Clinical Development and achieved market approvals for the NEXThaler® DPI for Asthma and FOSTAIR® for COPD. Professor Higenbottam previously held senior positions with AstraZeneca.
· Sebastian Johnston, MBBS, PhD, FERS, FRCP, FRSB, FMedSci
Professor of Respiratory Medicine & Allergy at the National Heart and Lung Institute
Imperial College London
A world authority and key opinion leader in exacerbations of asthma and COPD, Dr. Johnston has been performing human virus challenge studies in asthma for more than 20 years and is the only investigator worldwide to have performed such studies in people with COPD. With a long and productive history of collaborations with both the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, his work has led to more than 300 research publications and the publishing of 12 patents, and the licensing of these patents to industry. In addition to numerous board member and academic appointments, Dr. Johnston is a UK National Institute of Health Research senior investigator.
· Steven Reed, PhD
President, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Infectious Disease Research Institute
Dr. Reed’s research interests have focused on the immunology of intracellular infections, and on the development of vaccines and diagnostics for both cancer and infectious diseases. He led the team that, together with GSK, developed the first defined tuberculosis vaccine to advance to clinical trials, and has developed the first defined vaccines for leishmaniasis, as well as the K39-based diagnostic tests currently licensed for leishmaniasis. In addition to founding IDRI, Dr. Reed co-founded Corixa Corporation (which later sold to GlaxoSmithKline) and Immune Design Corp. He has more than 300 original publications, 40 book chapters and reviews, and 105 issued patents on diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics of infectious diseases and cancer.
About Pulmotect, Inc.
Founded in 2007, Pulmotect is actively developing PUL-042 (a TLR 2, 6 and 9 agonist), a drug a clinical stage, novel, pathogen-agnostic, inhaled compound (TLR 2/6 and 9 agonists) for the prevention and early treatment of acute, severe viral and bacterial respiratory infections in patients with chronic debilitating conditions. PUL-042 has been the subject of two Phase I clinical trials, with a Phase Ib trial scheduled in the second quarter of 2017. Pulmotect’s technology is licensed from The Texas A&M University System and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. For more information, visit www.pulmotect.com.
