VANCOUVER, June 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ - ProNAi Therapeutics, a clinical-stage oncology company pioneering a novel class of therapeutics based on its proprietary DNAi technology platform, today announced that it has expanded its Board of Directors to eight members, appointing industry veterans Dr. Nicole Onetto, M.D. and Mr. Robert Pelzer, LLB.
“Both Nicole and Bob are strong additions to our Board, having held senior leadership roles and served as Directors for numerous successful drug development companies. The enhancement of our Board with their depth of experience will be highly supportive to advancing our registration-oriented clinical development program for PNT2258, our lead DNAi product candidate targeting the BCL2 oncogene,” said Donald Parfet, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ProNAi.
Dr. Nicole Onetto, M.D. has served as the Deputy Director and Chief Scientific Officer at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research since November 2009. Dr. Onetto previously served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at ZymoGenetics, Inc., a biotechnology company, from September 2005 until November 2009. She also previously served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., as the Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs of Gilead Sciences, Inc., and as the Vice President, Medical Affairs of NeXstar. Dr. Onetto has also held positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Immunex and Hoechst Canada, Inc. Dr. Onetto currently serves on the board of directors of ImmunoGen, Inc. (IMGN) and previously served on the board of directors of YM BioSciences Inc. Dr. Onetto received a B.Sc. from the University of Paris, an M.Sc. in Pharmacology from the University of Montreal and an M.D. from the University of Paris.
Mr. Robert Pelzer served as the President of Novartis Corporation from September 2008 to March 2013, and was responsible for the Novartis Group Companies in the United States. From 2002 to 2008, Mr. Pelzer served as Global General Counsel and Head of Legal Services at Novartis Pharma AG. Prior to 2002, he held various positions at DuPont, including serving as General Counsel and Senior Vice President at DuPont Pharmaceuticals from 1998 to 2001. Mr. Pelzer currently serves on the board of directors of Aquinox Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AQXP), and Qu Biologics Inc. Mr. Pelzer holds a BCom and an LL.B. from the University of Alberta.
About ProNAi Therapeutics
ProNAi Therapeutics is a clinical-stage oncology company pioneering a novel class of therapeutics based on its proprietary DNAi technology platform for patients with cancer and hematological diseases. ProNAi’s lead DNAi product candidate, PNT2258, is designed to treat cancers that overexpress BCL2, an important and validated oncogene known to be dysregulated in many types of cancer. ProNAi is pursuing a multi-faceted clinical development strategy designed to efficiently achieve regulatory approval and maximize the commercial opportunity of PNT2258. ProNAi recently initiated “Wolverine”, a Phase 2 trial evaluating PNT2258 for the treatment of relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. For more information, please visit www.pronai.com.
SOURCE ProNAi Therapeutics Inc.
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