SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Receptor BioLogix, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing a newly discovered class of protein therapeutics to treat cancer and other diseases, today announced the appointment of Thomas A. Glaze as chief executive officer and a member of the company’s board of directors. With more than 25 years of experience in founding and managing life science companies in pharmaceuticals and medical devices, Mr. Glaze, 59, will lead the development and commercialization of Receptor BioLogix’s lead anti-cancer drug and promising pipeline.
“We are delighted to have a person of such caliber and depth of industry experience to head Receptor BioLogix’s executive team as we fulfill our corporate mission,” said Michael Shepard, Ph.D., who will continue serving the company as president and chief scientific officer. “Tom brings an exceptional track record in managing sustained growth and development, and I’m confident he’ll bring together the right elements to guide Receptor BioLogix in becoming a leader among biotechnology companies.”
Mr. Glaze said, “Receptor BioLogix is a very exciting company because it is pursuing a mission that will have profound importance for human health. We are working in fields that have been commercially validated but require improved products. In addition, Mike Shepard, our founder, has the scientific experience, insight and credibility that comes from his role in the development of Herceptin® and related molecules. He knows the territory and has put together an outstanding team. I’m looking forward to working with them to make Receptor BioLogix a great success.”
Prior to joining Receptor BioLogix, Mr. Glaze founded Essentialis, Inc., a developer of obesity drugs, and Limerick NeuroSciences, Inc., established to develop new analgesics with reduced side effects. Additionally, he was the interim president and CEO of Palingen, Inc., a Bay Area biopharmaceutical company developing an antibody therapeutic to treat leukemia and lymphoma. Previously, he was founder and CEO for 11 years of Metabolex, Inc., a Bay Area biopharmaceutical company focused on therapeutics to treat diabetes.
In 1979, Mr. Glaze founded Monoclonal Antibodies, Inc., one of the first biotechnology companies to harness the power of antibodies to diagnose disease, and served as its chairman and CEO until its merger with Quidel Corp in 1991. In addition to being a board member of Receptor BioLogix, he also serves on the boards of Essentialis, Limerick NeuroSciences, Palingen, Leptogen, and BayBio. Besides serving as a consultant to several early-stage biotechnology companies, he also is on the advisory boards of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech, and the Friday Harbor Labs of the University of Washington. Mr. Glaze holds an MBA and MS from Stanford University and a BIE from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
About Receptor BioLogix
Receptor BioLogix, Inc., based in South San Francisco, Calif., was founded in July 2003 with initial seed capital and an exclusive technology license from Oregon Health Sciences University. The company is focused on developing the first broad-spectrum anti-HER therapeutic, resulting from its program to commercialize a newly discovered class of protein therapeutics called Intron Fusion Proteins(TM) (IFP(TM)) to treat cancer, autoimmune, metabolic and other diseases.
Receptor BioLogix has identified a protein that blocks intracellular signaling triggered by members of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor family, including the HER-2 receptor that is abnormally expressed in some 30 percent of breast cancer patients. In contrast to other drugs that target this family, preclinical studies have shown that it downregulates multiple members of the HER family of receptors -- HER-1 (EGFR), HER-2, and HER-3. This activity is distinct from other agents like Herceptin(TM) or Erbitux(TM), which target only a single receptor type. Malignancies predicted to respond to its lead drug candidate include cancers of the prostate, breast, lung, colon, ovary, brain and pancreas. Clinical studies are planned to begin during 2008.
Using its proprietary IFP/SCAN technology, Receptor BioLogix has identified multiple IFP candidates, which are alternate splice forms of receptor tyrosine kinases. The company believes these are natural regulatory molecules that can be applied to cancer, autoimmune and multiple other disease categories. Receptor BioLogix has produced exciting data supporting the potential value of these IFP candidates and anticipates entering into partnerships with other companies to advance this technology. For more information, visit the company’s web site at http://www.rblx.com.
Source: Receptor BioLogix, Inc.
