Dr. Steven Long Joins Sirnaomics Senior Management Team as Head of China Clinical Studies

GAITHERSBURG, Md., May 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sirnaomics, Inc. (www.sirnaomics.com), a leading biopharmaceutical company in discovery and development of RNAi therapeutics, announced today that Steven Zhifeng Long, Ph.D., has joined Sirnaomics senior management team. Dr. Long will be responsible for clinical studies performed in China. His extensive experience and knowledge in preclinical and clinical regulations will strengthen Sirnaomics clinical programs for novel siRNA therapeutic development in China.

Dr. Steven (Zhifeng) Long has more than thirty years of experience in biopharmaceutical industry and is a serial entrepreneur having founded companies focused on gene therapy and personalized diagnostics. Dr. Long has served as a Unit Head in the Gene Therapy Division of Novartis, and was the founding Vice President of AnGes, Inc., a United States subsidiary of a Japanese company publically traded at the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

“We are excited to have Steven on board to support our clinical programs for novel siRNA therapeutic development in China. His unparalleled experience and knowledge in preclinical Pharm/Tox and clinical studies for gene and RNAi therapeutics will greatly enhance our capabilities to accelerate multiple clinical programs in China,” commented Dr. Patrick Lu, founder, president and CEO of the company. “Steven’s experience with regulatory agencies in the US, China and Japan will bring tremendous value to Sirnaomics management team.”

“Dr. Long’s addition to Sirnaomics will boost our China clinical development efforts. Steven has extensive experience in both US and China regulatory environment and his unique skill set will allow us to accelerate the China clinical development in the coming years. Sirnaomics recognizes that China is one of the fastest growing and most innovative health care markets in the world and the addition of Steven will help establish Sirnaomics as a leader among the new crop of biotech companies that will be entering the China healthcare market,” stated Dr. Michael Molyneaux, Sirnaomics CMO.

About Sirnaomics Clinical Programs

The leading compound of Sirnaomics STP705 is composed of two siRNA oligonucleotides, targeting TGF-β1 and COX-2 mRNA respectively, and formulated in nanoparticles with Histidine-Lysine Co-Polymer (HKP) peptide. Each individual siRNA was demonstrated to inhibit the expression of their target mRNAs and combining the two siRNA’s produces a synergistic effect that diminishes pro-fibrogenic and pro-inflammatory factors. Molecular analyses of the effects of administering the combination demonstrated that the inhibition of these targets had effects on downstream gene products associated with fibrosis including α-SMA, Col1A1, and Col3A1. Additional data suggests that reductions in TGF-β1 and COX-2 led to proapoptotic effects in fibroblasts. These observations suggest that STP705 has the potential for broad application in many inflammatory and fibrotic disease states. STP705 has already entered Phase 2a clinical study in USA and received clinical study approval from Chinese FDA for treatment of hypertrophic Scar. In addition, STP705 has received two orphan drug designations for treatments of Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) and Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) later last year. Other clinical indications for human fibrotic diseases and cancers using STP705 or different RNAi therapeutic compounds are under development by Sirnaomics.

About Sirnaomics, Inc.

Sirnaomics, Inc., a leading privately held biopharmaceutical company for discovery and development of RNAi therapeutics, is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA, with subsidiaries in Suzhou and Guangzhou, China. The company’s mission is to alleviate human suffering and advance patient care in areas of high unmet medical need. Members of the senior management team have extensive experience in the biopharmaceutical, financial, clinical and business management arenas in both the USA and China and the company is supported with funding from private investors, corporate partnerships and government grants. Sirnaomics has developed a strong portfolio of intellectual property with an enriched product pipeline. The therapeutic areas of interest include fibrotic diseases and oncology.

Contact:
George Ji
Senior Vice President
georgeji@sirnaomics.com