CHICAGO, IL and FORT WORTH, TX, May 9, 2017 – Actuate Therapeutics, Inc., a Chicago-based biopharmaceutical company, today announced that Daniel D. Billadeau, Ph.D, has joined their Scientific Advisory Board.
Dr. Billadeau is Professor and Chair of the Department of Immunology, and Deputy Director for Basic Science in the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Billadeau obtained his graduate degree from the University of Minnesota and did his postdoctoral training in the area of molecular immunology/biochemistry before beginning his independent research career in the Division of Oncology Research at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Billadeau’s research efforts have focused on identifying molecular targets in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and his group was the first to demonstrate that glycogen synthase kinase-3ß is overexpressed and nuclear localized in and is a viable therapeutic target.
The Actuate SAB was established to advise on the preclinical development and advancement of Actuate’s best-in-class GSK-3ß inhibitors into and through clinical trials in cancer patients. By coming onto Actuate’s SAB, Dr. Billadeau is joining a world-class team of clinical experts including:
Razelle Kurzrock, MD, Chief, Division of Hematology & Oncology, and Senior Deputy Director, Clinical Science at Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health. Dr. Kurzrock is widely known for developing one of the largest and best phase 1 clinical trials programs in the nation while at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr Kurzrock has authored over 450 peer-reviewed publications and been the principal investigator of the National Cancer Institute U01 Phase I Studies of Targeted Anti-Cancer Agents.
Linda Liau, MD, PhD, Professor & Vice Chair, UCLA Department of Neurosurgery; Director, UCLA Brain Tumor Program. Linda Liau is a neurosurgeon and Professor of Neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She is Vice Chair of the UCLA Department of Neurosurgery and Director of the UCLA Brain Tumor Program at the UCLA Medical Center.
Dr. Liau is a full Professor and board-certified neurosurgeon with both an active research laboratory and a busy clinical practice in the field of brain tumors and neurosurgical oncology. Dr. Liau is the current Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neuro-Oncology.
Patricia LoRusso, DO, Associate Director of Innovative Medicine, Yale Cancer Center. Dr. LoRusso has served as co-chair of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) Investigational Drug Steering Committee. She also served on the scientific committee of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the education and scientific committees of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), numerous peer-reviewed study sections, and NCI committees. She is a former editor of Investigational New Drugs, is currently on the editorial board for Clinical Cancer Research, and is a reviewer for several journals.
“We are pleased to have such talented and experienced scientific advisors to consult with us on the design of our clinical programs for the highest potential impact for the benefit of our patients” said Frank Giles, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Actuate Therapeutics. “Each of the SAB members is a well-known thought leader in the development of new oncology therapeutics, and we appreciate the expertise they bring to our team.”
“The members of our SAB are among the premier oncology researchers and clinicians in the world” said Daniel Schmitt, President & CEO of Actuate Therapeutics. “We view their interest in Actuate Therapeutics’ development programs as strong validation of the importance of our research and potential impact our compounds could have in the clinic”.
About Actuate Therapeutics, Inc.
Actuate is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of new novel therapeutics for high impact cancers and inflammatory diseases. For additional information, please visit the Company’s website at http://www.actuatetherapeutics.com
