SAN DIEGO, Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- OncoSec Medical Inc. (OTCBB: ONCS), which is developing its advanced stage ElectroOncology therapies to treat solid tumor cancers, announced today the appointment of three respected medical innovators to its newly created Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). This advisory board will provide input to the company’s R&D and clinical strategies, including OncoSec’s multiple planned Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of melanoma, Merkel cell carcinoma and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
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The internationally recognized leaders in medical research joining OncoSec’s Scientific Advisory Board are:
- Richard Heller, Ph.D. - Director, Frank Reidy Research Center for Bioelectrics, Old Dominion University
- Iacob Mathiesen, Ph.D. - CEO, Otivio AS
- Christian H. Ottensmeier, MD, Ph.D. - Professor of Experimental Cancer Research at the University of Southampton
The SAB will meet bi-annually to review the company’s progress in research and clinical development as well as to evaluate new scientific perspectives alongside the company’s management. In addition, OncoSec and the Scientific Advisory Board will rely on input and expertise from the Company’s clinical and scientific advisory panel, which notably includes:
- Adil Daud, M.D. - Clinical Professor and Director Melanoma Program, University of California, San Francisco
- Paul Nghiem, M.D., Ph.D. - Associate Professor, Dermatology, University of Washington
- Shailender Bhatia, M.D. - Assistant Professor, Medical Oncology, University of Washington
- Wei Ai, M.D. - Clinical Assistant Professor, Hematology and Oncology, University of California, San Francisco
- Siegrid Yu, M.D. - Assistant Clinical Professor, Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco
- Alain Rook, M.D. - Professor of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania
Punit Dhillon, OncoSec’s president and CEO, said, “We are very pleased to welcome such respected research and clinical leaders to OncoSec’s Scientific Advisory Board. They are all recognized as innovators in their scientific and medical fields. In combination with members of our clinical and scientific advisory panel we feel that OncoSec has brought together an incredibly strong group of scientific minds who will help to guide the development and commercialization strategies for our OMS ElectroOncology therapies.”
Below is more information on OncoSec’s new Scientific Advisory Board members:
RICHARD HELLER, PH.D.
Dr. Heller has over 25 years experience in evaluating effects of electric pulses on biological systems. He is recognized as a pioneer on the use of electroporation for drug and gene delivery and holds multiple patents related to the use of electric fields for molecule delivery. A major focus of his research is to develop in vivo delivery procedures for non-viral gene therapy. The approach utilizes pulsed electric fields to facilitate targeting and uptake of the molecules to be delivered. His laboratory has multiple publications reporting on new protocols or devices that are being tested for potential therapies for cancer, wound healing and vascular diseases (peripheral or coronary ischemia) as well as vaccine and immunotherapy protocols including one of the first publications demonstrating the use of in vivo electroporation to deliver plasmid DNA. The immune-gene therapy approach developed in his laboratory was translated into the clinic and represents the first-in-human study utilizing in vivo electro-gene delivery of a plasmid for the treatment of melanoma. Dr. Heller received his B.S. degree in Microbiology from Oregon State University, a M.S. from Long Island University, C. W. Post campus in Health Sciences and a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences from the University of South Florida, College of Medicine. He was a Professor in the Departments of Molecular Medicine and Surgery at USF College of Medicine prior to joining Old Dominion University in 2008.
IACOB MATHIESEN, PH.D.
Iacob Mathiesen has been a pioneer in the advancement of novel electroporation methods and devices for DNA delivery. He co-founded Inovio AS in 1999, a research and development company which pursued advancements in the field of electroporation-based DNA delivery and was successful in securing pivotal patents, developing leading edge devices, and securing strategic partnerships. As the CEO of the company he was instrumental in raising capital, negotiating license agreements and research collaborations as well as developing clinically approved medical devices for gene delivery to humans. Inovio & University of Southampton initiated the first clinical trial in the world using electroporation to deliver DNA vaccines. He led the company until Inovio in 2005 was acquired by Genetronics Biomedical Corporation, a US listed company which subsequently changed name to Inovio Pharmaceuticals (www.inovio.com). He has been named as inventor or co-inventor on multiple patents and co-authored numerous scientific papers relating to the use of electroporation for DNA delivery. Iacob led the merged company’s R&D efforts related to gene delivery (DNA vaccines and gene therapy). He is currently a member of Inovio’s scientific advisory board. Iacob received a B.Sc. in Mathematics and Natural Sciences in 1991, an M.Sc. in Mathematics and Natural Sciences in 1993, and a Ph.D. in Neurobiology in 1999, all from the University of Oslo, Norway. He was a co-founder of Otivio AS in 2010 and is a board member of Connect in Norway, an international organization for helping entrepreneurs.
CHRISTIAN OTTENSMEIER, M.D., PH.D.
Christian Ottensmeier is Professor in Experimental Cancer Medicine. Following a 3 year training fellowship at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, he moved to Southampton. Professor Ottensmeier has been a consultant in medical oncology since 2000. Clinically his interests are thoracic malignancies and melanoma, and he has helped to develop several national NCRI studies in lung cancer. He manages a broad and active clinical trials portfolio in both lung cancer and melanoma. The overarching aim of his laboratory group is the preclinical development and early phase clinical testing of strategies to induce anti-tumor immune responses in patients. After an initial focus on B cell malignancies the majority of the work is now in solid tumors. This has led to three linked but distinct areas of investigation: Detailed immunological evaluation of the effect of immunological intervention in patients, assay development and validation, and finally mechanistic studies in murine models as well as human modeling of immune responses to vaccination for further preclinical cancer vaccine development.
About OncoSec Medical Inc.
OncoSec Medical Incorporated (OTCBB: ONCS) develops novel OMS ElectroOncology therapies that combine its proprietary electroporation delivery technology with a chemotherapeutic or novel DNA-based immunotherapeutics. Targeted local delivery of these agents is designed to achieve selective destruction of cancerous tumors while sparing healthy normal tissue, resulting in improved functional, cosmetic and quality of life outcomes. These therapies have achieved validating safety and efficacy data in early and late stage clinical studies of over 400 cancer patients. OncoSec’s clinical programs include three Phase II clinical trials for OMS ElectroImmunotherapy. More information is available at www.oncosec.com. Additional information may also be found at OncoSec’s Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn sites.
This press release contains forward looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements in this release that are not historical facts may be considered such “forward looking statements.” Forward looking statements are based on management’s current preliminary expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties which may cause our results to differ materially and adversely from the statements contained herein. Some of the potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those predicted include our ability to raise additional funding, our ability to acquire, develop or commercialize new products, uncertainties inherent in pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, unexpected new data, safety and technical issues, competition and market conditions. These and additional risks and uncertainties are more fully described in OncoSec’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward looking statements which speak only as of the date they are made. OncoSec disclaims any obligation to update any forward looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date they are made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
SOURCE OncoSec Medical Incorporated
