BALTIMORE, Oct. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- FASgen, Inc. is pleased to report that Johns Hopkins University has honored FASgen Founder and President Albert H. Owens, Jr., M.D. by dedicating his name to the new auditorium facility in the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, which facility was the result of a generous donation from The Seraph Foundation, Inc. to further support cancer research. Dr. Owens was the Founder of the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center and his contribution to cancer research and to Johns Hopkins over the last 40 years was duly recognized. Also announced in conjunction with the honors bestowed on Dr. Owens were the Company’s recent successes with one of its lead compounds for the treatment of cancer by the selective inhibition of fatty acid synthase. These experiments produced very positive results in substantial reduction in size of tumors and even complete elimination entirely in some cases. Results of experiments run at the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center using FASgen compounds demonstrated these positive outcomes against human lung cancer xenografts in nude mice, based on twice-a-day oral dosing. FASgen has been able to produce comparable results in its laboratories in four other xenograft human tumor cell lines. One compound has also demonstrated highly effective chemoprevention outcomes against lung cancer in a 6-month trial with oral dosing. “These results are very encouraging for FASgen and for its 14-year cancer drug development program, which is now targeting an IND and human clinical trials as fast as is permissibly possible,” said Dr. Owens.
In light of these important scientific developments, Dr. Owens announced a new alignment of Company management. He said, “With the acceleration of the cancer IND and clinical drug development program, I have determined that my expertise is of best value to the Company by focusing on our drug development programs. I shall remain as Founder, President, Chief Science Officer and a Director, and continue to be responsible for the scientific affairs of the Company. The business and financial affairs of the Company will be handled by our Executive Chairman, Eric F. Stoer, who will act as chief executive for the Company.”
About FASgen, Inc.: FASgen, Inc. is a drug development company founded in 2000 by four distinguished Johns Hopkins researchers to create new therapeutic products based on the selective inhibition of fatty acid biosynthesis. The Company has the exclusive license from Johns Hopkins to more than 14 years of research in the field, which research continues under a sponsored research agreement with the University. The Company has designed and synthesized many compounds that selectively act on fatty acid biosynthesis targets. In addition to the anti-obesity compounds, one other group of the Company’s proprietary compounds holds great promise for new and highly specific therapeutics for cancer; additional compounds have the potential of specific therapeutics for TB, including multiple drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) and latent TB infections that affect one third of the world’s population. For more information, visit FASgen’s website at www.fasgen.com.
FASgen, Inc.
CONTACT: Pam Spangler, FASgen, Inc., +1-410-558-9200, orPamela.spangler@fasgen.com
Web site: http://www.fasgen.com/
