SAN DIEGO, Oct. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lpath, Inc. , the category leader in therapeutic agents against bioactive lipids, today announced that Genevieve Hansen, Ph.D., has been promoted to vice president of research. Dr. Hansen, who joined Lpath in March 2006 as executive director, has worked together with founder and CSO Dr. Roger Sabbadini to significantly expand the research capabilities and to extend Lpath’s leadership in therapeutic antibody development against bioactive lipids.
Dr. Hansen has over 15 years of experience in biotechnology. Most recently, Dr. Hansen was director of protein therapeutics at Diversa Corporation where her group led multiple protein therapeutic programs in oncology, auto-immune disease, and anti-infectives. Prior to that, Dr. Hansen headed the immunology projects at Syngenta’s Genomics Center. From 1993 to 2001, Dr. Hansen held increasingly senior positions at Novartis, leading research and development teams in projects ranging from the engineering of new cell-line development tools and optimization of expression systems to programs aimed at understanding apoptosis. Dr. Hansen holds a master in biochemistry and a Ph.D. in microbiology and genetics from the University of Paris and did her post-doctoral work at the Max-Planck Institute in Germany.
Scott Pancoast, Lpath president and CEO, commented, “Dr. Hansen’s vision, leadership, and extensive scientific background have been instrumental to the achievement of important Lpath milestones in 2006. Along with Dr. Roger Sabbadini, she has put together a cadre of researchers that is unparalleled in the area of lipidomic-based therapeutics. We are confident that Dr. Hansen’s expanded role will help propel our efforts and enhance the value of Lpath for our shareholders.”
Added Sabbadini, “Dr. Hansen has assembled a world-class research team with capabilities to perform, on an in-house basis, certain functions that generally only big pharma companies can do. These capabilities were applied to the optimization of Lpath’s humanized Sphingomab antibody, thereby significantly improving the performance of our clinical candidate. This added dimension will serve Lpath well in our future drug-development projects.”
About Lpath
Lpath, Inc., headquartered in San Diego, California, is the category leader in lipidomic-based therapeutics, an emerging field of medical science whereby bioactive signaling lipids are targeted for treating important human diseases. Lpath’s lead product candidate, Sphingomab(TM), is a monoclonal antibody against a validated cancer target, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), and has demonstrated compelling results in preclinical studies against multiple forms of cancers, against AMD, and against heart failure. Sphingomab is potently anti-angiogenic, yet it has other mechanisms of action that may prove advantageous in the clinical setting. Lpath’s second product candidate, Lpathomab(TM), is a monoclonal antibody against lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a key bioactive lipid that has been long recognized as a significant promoter of cancer-cell growth and metastasis in a broad range of tumor types.
Lpath’s unique ability to generate antibodies against bioactive lipids is based on its patented ImmuneY2(TM) technology. The company intends to apply the ImmuneY2 process to other important lipid-signaling agents, thereby providing a robust pipeline of antibody-based drug candidates.
About Forward-Looking Statements
Except for statements of historical fact, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking and reflect numerous assumptions and involve a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control and may cause actual results to differ materially from stated expectations. For example, there can be no assurance that results will be timely, necessary regulatory approvals will be obtained, the proposed treatments will prove to be safe or effective or required clinical trials will be ultimately successful. Actual results may also differ substantially from those described in or contemplated by this press release due to risks and uncertainties that exist in our operations and business environment, including, without limitation, our limited experience in the development of therapeutic drugs, our dependence upon proprietary technology, our history of operating losses and accumulated deficits, our reliance on research grants, current and future competition, and other risks described from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to release publicly the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date hereof.
Lpath Contacts: Lpath, Inc. Scott R. Pancoast, (858) 678-0800 x104 President & CEO, spancoast@Lpath.comwww.Lpath.com Lpath Investor Relations Liolios Group, Inc., (949) 574-3860 Geoffrey Plank, geoffrey@liolios.com Ron Both, ron@liolios.com
Lpath, Inc.
CONTACT: Scott R. Pancoast, President & CEO of Lpath, Inc.,+1-858-678-0800, ext. 104, spancoast@Lpath.com; or Investor Relations,Geoffrey Plank, geoffrey@liolios.com, or Ron Both, ron@liolios.com, both ofLiolios Group, Inc., +1-949-574-3860, for Lpath, Inc.
Web site: http://www.Lpath.com/
