EMERYVILLE, Calif., Dec. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bionovo, Inc. announced today the appointment of Willa Hsueh, M.D., to the company’s Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Hsueh has extensive experience in the design and conduct of clinical trials, basic science research and in pharmaceutical drug development.
“We are very excited to have Dr. Hsueh on the scientific advisory board as we are advancing our discovery platforms,” said Isaac Cohen, O.M.D., Bionovo’s Chairman and CEO. “Dr. Hsueh is currently the Director of the Diabetes Research Center at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute and Chief of the Division of Diabetes, Obesity and Lipids in the Department of Medicine at The Methodist Hospital (TMHRI), Houston, Texas. Dr. Hsueh’s research has led to a number of important scientific discoveries. She was the first to elucidate the relationship between nuclear receptor regulation in obesity and diabetes and their relationship to heart disease. This scientific advancement is especially critical for menopausal women and Dr. Hsueh’s research ties into Bionovo’s current drug discovery platform as well as our future platform development of drugs for obesity. In addition, Dr. Hsueh’s deep relationships in both industry and academia will help Bionovo with our partnership discussions and scientific collaborations.”
Dr. Hsueh adds, “I am looking forward to working with Bionovo’s exceptional team on their very exciting nuclear receptor discovery platform. The scientific group that has been assembled to collaborate with Bionovo is unmatched in the industry. I believe the very promising pipeline of Bionovo drug candidates will provide new and improved therapies for women.”
Dr. Hsueh and her team were the first to identify a potentially protective role for the activation of nuclear receptors of the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor family (PPAR) in vascular injury. Dr. Hsueh was one of the earliest investigators to suggest that diabetes is a major contributor to cardiovascular injury, and she has been dedicated to identifying biomarkers and genetic defects associated with increased risks for diabetes and cardiovascular disease,
Dr. Hsueh has received many awards in recognition of her clinical and scientific work. In 2005 she received the Edwin B. Astwood Award from the Endocrine Society for Outstanding Research. She also received the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism and Digestive Diseases, MERIT Award from 1991- 1998, the American Heart Association, Harry Goldblatt Award for Cardiovascular Research in 1986 and The Upjohn Achievement Award for Research in 1973. Prior to becoming the Director of the Diabetes Research Center at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute and Chief of the Division of Diabetes, Obesity and Lipids in the Department of Medicine at The Methodist Hospital (TMHRI), Houston, Texas earlier this year, Dr. Hsueh was the Chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1997 to 2008. In addition to her academic and administrative duties, Dr. Hsueh maintains a full clinical practice and is involved in many translational research projects.
Bionovo, Inc.
Bionovo is a pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of safe and effective treatments for women’s health and cancer, markets with significant unmet needs and billions in potential annual revenue. The company applies its expertise in the biology of menopause and cancer to design new drugs derived from botanical sources which have novel mechanisms of action. Based on the results of early and mid-stage clinical trials, Bionovo believes they have discovered new classes of drug candidates within their rich pipeline with the potential to be leaders in their markets. Bionovo is headquartered in Emeryville, California and is traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol, “BNVI”. For more information about Bionovo and its programs, visit: http://www.bionovo.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to the business of Bionovo, Inc. that can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes,” “expects,” or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including uncertainties relating to product development, efficacy and safety, regulatory actions or delays, the ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual property protection, market acceptance, physician acceptance, third party reimbursement, future capital requirements, competition in general and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Certain of these risks and uncertainties are or will be described in greater detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available at http://www.sec.gov. Bionovo, Inc. is under no obligation (and expressly disclaims any such obligation) to update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
CONTACT: Claire Fong or Tom Chesterman, both of Bionovo, Inc.,
+1-510-601-2000, investor@bionovo.com
Web site: http://www.bionovo.com/
