VANCOUVER, June 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - ProNAi Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: DNAI), a clinical-stage oncology company advancing novel targeted therapeutics, today announced it has appointed Dr. Christian Hassig as Senior Vice President, Research. Dr. Hassig will lead ProNAi’s research activities from discovery research through to early candidate development.
“Chris will play an integral role in the identification, selection and validation of targets and novel drug candidates. He will also provide strategic research oversight and scientific leadership as we advance a growing portfolio of targeted medicines,” said Dr. Nick Glover, President and CEO of ProNAi Therapeutics.
Dr. Hassig has a strong record of accomplishments in both discovery research and preclinical development across multiple therapeutic areas and has pioneered lead discovery projects against innovative targets in oncology, from target discovery through to IND. At the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, Dr. Hassig drove the advancement of the institute’s discovery pipeline across oncology as well as several other therapeutic areas. During his academic career, Chris conducted seminal work in the area of chromatin regulation, including the purification, cloning and characterization of several members of the histone deacetylase (HDAC) family of enzymes, targets which have been the focus of several advanced oncology drug development programs.
Dr. Hassig maintains an adjunct faculty appointment at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla.
He was formerly the Vice President of Drug Discovery at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, having previously served as its Director of Drug Discovery from 2010 to 2015. Prior to this, Dr. Hassig served as the Department Head of Biology at Kalypsys, Inc., a privately owned biopharmaceutical company specializing in small molecule drug discovery and development, and held multiple roles within its Biology and Lead Discovery departments. Dr. Hassig holds a B.A. in Chemistry/Biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego, and a Ph.D. from Harvard University. He completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley.
About ProNAi Therapeutics
ProNAi Therapeutics is a clinical-stage oncology company advancing novel targeted therapeutics. ProNAi’s lead product candidate, PNT2258, is being studied in two Phase 2 trials: “Wolverine”, a Phase 2 trial evaluating PNT2258 for the treatment of relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL); and “Brighton”, a Phase 2 trial evaluating PNT2258 for the treatment of Richter’s transformation. ProNAi is also advancing PNT141, a potent, selective and orally bioavailable small molecule inhibitor of CDC7. This kinase is a key regulator of both DNA replication and DNA damage response, making it a compelling emerging target for the treatment of a broad range of tumor types. For more information, please visit www.pronai.com.
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements regarding ProNAi’s potential business development strategies. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, among others, the risk that ProNAi may be unable to successfully develop and commercialize PNT2258, PNT141 or any other future product candidates, PNT2258 and PNT141 may fail to demonstrate safety and efficacy or may not otherwise produce positive results, ProNAi may experience delays in clinical trials, including due to difficulties enrolling patients, ProNAi’s third-party manufacturers may cause its supply of materials to become limited or interrupted or fail to be of satisfactory quantity or quality, ProNAi’s cash resources may be insufficient to fund its current operating plans and it may be unable to raise additional capital when needed, ProNAi may be unable to obtain and enforce intellectual property protection for its technologies and product candidates and the other factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” set forth in ProNAi’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. ProNAi undertakes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained herein or to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date hereof, other than as may be required by applicable law.
SOURCE ProNAi Therapeutics Inc.
