SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Jan. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Exelixis, Inc. today announced that Jose Baselga, M.D., has been appointed to the company’s Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Baselga is the Chairman of the Medical Oncology Service and Director of the Division of Medical Oncology, Hematology and Radiation Oncology at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona, Spain and a Professor of Medicine at the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona. He has made significant contributions to the clinical development of several approved targeted cancer therapies, including trastuzumab, cetuximab, gefitinib and erlotinib. Dr. Baselga also is actively engaged in research and development of new classes of cancer therapies, such as ras farnesyltransferase inhibitors, m-TOR inhibitors and a variety of antiangiogenic agents.
“Dr. Baselga’s tremendous body of knowledge and expertise in the area of oncology drug discovery and development is a great asset, and we are honored to welcome him to our Scientific Advisory Board,” said Michael M. Morrissey, Ph.D., president of research and development at Exelixis. “He is a recognized leader in translational medicine, and his contributions have helped to turn numerous advances in molecular oncology into important new therapies. His expertise in identifying key regulatory pathways involved in human cancers will be of great value to Exelixis as we work to develop and commercialize a number of next-generation cancer therapies.
In addition to his academic responsibilities, Dr. Baselga also is a member of the Editorial Boards for Cancer Cell, Clinical Cancer Research and Investigational New Drugs. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles, in addition to over 300 abstracts and book chapters. He holds leadership positions in a number of cancer research organizations, including Scientific Chairman of the Spanish Breast Cancer cooperative group (SOLTI), Member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR) and is the President-Elect of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). Dr. Baselga received his M.D. degree from the Universidad Autonoma of Barcelona in 1982. He performed internal medicine residencies at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona and at State University of New York. He completed a fellowship in Medical Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, subsequently joining the institution’s staff.
“Exelixis has a diverse and exciting pipeline of clinical and preclinical development compounds,” said Dr. Baselga. “Importantly, these compounds are designed to target the fundamental mechanisms that drive cancer cell growth and survival. The company has an innovative approach to translating ongoing advances in tumor biology research into novel drug discovery and development programs. I look forward to working with the Exelixis team to help realize the significant potential of these compounds.”
About Exelixis
Exelixis, Inc. is a development-stage biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases. The company is leveraging its fully integrated drug discovery platform to fuel the growth of its development pipeline, which is primarily focused on cancer. Currently, Exelixis’ broad product pipeline includes investigational compounds in Phase II and Phase I clinical development for cancer and renal disease. Exelixis has established strategic corporate alliances with major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Genentech, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Sankyo. For more information, please visit the company’s web site at www.exelixis.com .
Exelixis, Inc.
CONTACT: investors, Charles Butler, Director, Corporate Communications,+1-650-837-7277, or cbutler@exelixis.com, or media, Soleil MaxwellHarrison, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, +1-650-837-7012, orsharrison@exelixis.com, both of Exelixis, Inc.
Web site: http://www.exelixis.com//
