SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Jan. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael G. Kauffman, M.D., Ph.D. has been elected Chairman of the board of directors of Proteolix, Inc., a San Francisco Bay Area biopharmaceutical company. With clinical trials on-going, Proteolix is developing novel cancer compounds based upon proteasome inhibition, a new therapeutic paradigm which has shown promise in treating certain cancers such as multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma.
Dr. Kauffman is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Epix Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel pharmaceutical products through the use of proprietary technology to better diagnose, treat and manage patients.
“Michael’s unique background makes him ideally suited to help take Proteolix to the next level of clinical development and beyond,” said Susan Molineaux, President and CEO of Proteolix. “As the Program Leader in the development of VELCADE(TM), the first marketed proteasome inhibitor, Michael brings a wealth of knowledge regarding this new therapeutic approach which will be invaluable as we move PR-171 through advanced clinical trials.”
Dr. Kauffman commented, “The Proteolix team has made remarkable progress in a relatively short period of time and I am excited to be a part of this organization. As a second generation proteasome inhibitor, PR-171 is an impressive step forward and I share the company’s goal of adding it to the armamentarium physicians can use to treat these deadly illnesses.”
Dr. Kauffman’s Background
Dr. Kauffman received his M.D. and Ph.D. (molecular biology and biochemistry) at Johns Hopkins Medical School and his postdoctoral training at Harvard University. He is board certified in internal medicine, and has over 10 years of extensive experience in drug discovery and development. From September 2002 until August 2006, Dr. Kauffman served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Predix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to that, Dr. Kauffman was the Vice President, Medicine, and Proteasome Inhibitor (VELCADE(TM)) Program Leader at Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc. Prior to that, Dr. Kauffman held senior positions at Millennium Predictive Medicine, Inc., as cofounder and Vice President of Medicine, and at Biogen Corporation. In addition to serving on the Epix Pharmaceuticals board of directors, he currently serves on the boards of Bioenvision, Inc., and CombinatoRx, Inc., all publicly traded pharmaceutical companies.
About Proteolix
Proteolix, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and marketing pharmaceutical products that target certain cancers by introducing proteasome inhibition and thereby disrupting protein turnover in cells, particularly cancer cells, which leads to cell death. Proteolix is developing second generation proteasome inhibitors, including an oral proteasome inhibitor and a selective immunoproteasome inhibitor, to expand the therapeutic potential of this new target class. Proteolix is headquartered in South San Francisco. For more information, please visit the Company’s website at www.proteolix.com .
CONTACT: Susan Molineaux, Ph.D., President and CEO, 650-615-7550
Proteolix, Inc.
CONTACT: Susan Molineaux, Ph.D., President and CEO, +1-650-615-7550
Web site: http://www.proteolix.com//
