SEATTLE, Jan. 24, 2007 — Inologic, an innovative biopharmaceutical company based in Seattle, will change its name to ISM Therapeutics and promote Beatrice Langton-Webster, Ph.D., to chief executive officer. ISM Therapeutics will seek as much as $15 million in venture capital to broaden its drug portfolio and advance its rapid discovery of a new class of drugs based on its proprietary inositol signaling molecules (ISMs) for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases.
“We’ve discovered that our ISMs can be used as a therapeutic to treat cancer and pulmonary diseases,” said Dr. Langton-Webster. “Unlike other companies that are trying to understand cell signaling using ISMs as research tools or are trying to regulate the secondary targets affected by ISMs, we’ve discovered that we can use the ISMs themselves as therapeutic drugs. This allows us to very rapidly identify appropriate drugs that are safe and effective, because they are analogs of what the cell would use to repair itself.”
It has long been known that ISMs play a key role in the communication signals associated with cells becoming cancerous—signals associated with cell survival and cell death. By expanding into broader therapeutic areas, ISM Therapeutics will potentially develop a whole new class of oncology drugs.
To date, the company has used its ISM platform for the discovery and development of a preclinical drug application in cystic fibrosis and a subset of pulmonary diseases. It is also using its ISMs to develop radioprotective drugs to protect or treat individuals exposed to radiation, with a recently announced $1.1 million grant from the Department of Defense.
“Dr. Langton-Webster has the oncology background to help progress ISM Therapeutics’ cancer pipeline and the pharmaceutical background to guide the company’s drugs through discovery and into the marketplace,” said Michael Buhrmann, chairman of ISM Therapeutics. “Backed by venture funding, Dr. Langton-Webster will build ISM Therapeutics by broadening the company’s drug platform into cancer drugs and moving the cystic fibrosis drug into clinical trials.”
Dr. Langton-Webster joined the company in 2002 as vice president of drug development and transitioned to chief operating officer and director in June 2005. Dr. Langton-Webster has over 20 years’ experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, with expertise in managing drug discovery and development efforts and establishing and managing collaborative and early- stage biotech opportunities. Her scientific efforts have focused on the identification of therapeutic agents that affect cell signaling.
Dr. Langton-Webster previously served as president and senior consultant for BC Associates, a consulting firm specializing in preclinical and clinical program design, operational and team management, and strategic planning. She also served as head of the Oncology Strategic Research Unit at Triton/Berlex Biosciences (Schering AG) and as senior director of preclinical development at Megabios Corporation (now Valentis Corporation). She is the inventor on a number of pivotal patents related to the erbB-2 (HER-2/neu) antibody and holds a B.A. in bacteriology from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Ph.D. in medical microbiology and immunology from the University of California, Davis.
ISM Therapeutics is based in Seattle. For more information, please visit http://www.ismtherapeutics.com or contact Dr. Beatrice Langton-Webster at (206) 812-1510 or bealw@ismtherapeutics.com.
About ISM Therapeutics ISM Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company with a leadership position in the discovery and development of a new class of therapeutic drugs based on inositol signaling molecules (ISMs) and their role in regulating cell functions. ISM Therapeutics believes its proprietary compounds can play role in cancer treatment and radioprotection, as well as affecting the key signaling pathways linked to many serious diseases, including inflammatory and pulmonary disorders such as cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. ISM Therapeutics has a unique and practical approach to discovering new drug leads, and the approach has rapidly yielded a number of drug candidates ranging from discovery research to viable clinical leads. ISM Therapeutics is focusing its discovery and development efforts on the advancement of compounds for cancer treatment and drugs that will be used as radioprotective agents.
