Sienna Cancer Diagnostics Ltd is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr John Chiplin to the Board of Directors. Dr Chiplin is a very experienced healthcare executive and brings considerable capital markets experience to the Board. His most recent executive position was CEO of Polynoma LLC, a US based cancer immunotherapy company, and he was formerly the founding CEO of ASX listed Arana Therapeutics Ltd prior to that company’s acquisition by Cephalon (now Teva). Before his appointment at Arana Dr Chiplin was head of the UK’s $300M ITI Life Science investment fund. He is currently a Non-Executive Director of ASX listed biotechnology companies Benitec Biopharma (ASX:BLT) and Cynata Therapeutics (ASX:CYP), as well as Adalta Ltd, and was recently appointed Chairman of UK AIM listed company Scancell Holdings Plc (AIM:SCLP). Dr Chiplin is also the founder and Managing Director of Newstar Ventures, an early stage investment fund.
Dr Chiplin commented “I believe Sienna's telomerase detection platform is poised to make a dramatic impact in early stage cancer detection. It is a pleasure to be joining Sienna at such a pivotal time in the Company's growth”.
Sienna’s Chairman Dr Geoff Cumming said “We are delighted to have John join the Sienna Board as the Company transitions towards further commercial growth and market expansion. John’s capital markets experience will greatly assist in the Company’s future capital raising activities and potential listing aspirations”.
About Sienna Cancer Diagnostics
Sienna Cancer Diagnostics Limited is an unlisted public biotechnology company, specialising in the development of novel reagents and diagnostic tests using telomerase, an important biomarker in many types of cancer. Telomerase is an enzyme that elongates chromosome ends (“telomeres”) and can be found in 90% of human epithelial cancer cells. The telomerase platform drives Sienna’s pipeline and underpins the establishment of key commercial markets worldwide. Sienna commenced sales of its first product SCD-A7, an anti-telomerase antibody, in January 2015 through a partnership with a leading U.S. uropathology laboratory, which now deploys the product in a bladder cancer diagnostic test.
About anti-hTERT antibody (SCD-A7)
Sienna’s anti-hTERT antibody (SCD-A7) can be used in lab developed diagnostic tests to detect telomerase. Registration of SCD-A7 with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an Analyte Specific Reagent (ASR) followed cGMP manufacturing and compliance with the FDA’s Quality Systems Regulations. FDA registration enables Sienna to supply SCD-A7 to US-based pathology companies for use in urine-based in vitro diagnostic test to detect telomerase.
About Telomerase and Bladder Cancer
Telomerase is a naturally-occurring enzyme expressed in some replicating human cells and malignant tumours, including bladder cancer. It is widely regarded as having potential in both therapeutic and diagnostic applications. In 2009, the Nobel Prize in Physiology / Medicine was awarded for the discovery of telomerase to three co-workers, including Australian Elizabeth Blackburn. Unlike many potential cancer biomarkers in development, telomerase is well-established in the scientific literature as associated with ~90% of human cancers, signifying its key role in cancer development.
Bladder cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the USA, and the first in terms of total medical care cost per patient due to its propensity to re-occur after diathermy or resection of lesions from the bladder wall. Over 70,000 individuals are diagnosed with bladder cancer annually in the USA and more than 530,000 people in the USA live with a history of bladder cancer, thus requiring regular diagnostic monitoring. It is estimated that approximately 1.5 million cytology tests are conducted annually in the USA for initial diagnosis and ongoing monitoring of bladder cancer patients. The gold-standard test for diagnosis (called a cystoscopy) is a costly and invasive procedure. Cytology alone has poor rates of detection, especially for early stage cancer, and Sienna’s diagnostic platform will offer a simple, cost effective, non-invasive test for telomerase, which pathologists may use as an adjunct to cytology to address this unmet need.
Dr Chiplin commented “I believe Sienna's telomerase detection platform is poised to make a dramatic impact in early stage cancer detection. It is a pleasure to be joining Sienna at such a pivotal time in the Company's growth”.
Sienna’s Chairman Dr Geoff Cumming said “We are delighted to have John join the Sienna Board as the Company transitions towards further commercial growth and market expansion. John’s capital markets experience will greatly assist in the Company’s future capital raising activities and potential listing aspirations”.
About Sienna Cancer Diagnostics
Sienna Cancer Diagnostics Limited is an unlisted public biotechnology company, specialising in the development of novel reagents and diagnostic tests using telomerase, an important biomarker in many types of cancer. Telomerase is an enzyme that elongates chromosome ends (“telomeres”) and can be found in 90% of human epithelial cancer cells. The telomerase platform drives Sienna’s pipeline and underpins the establishment of key commercial markets worldwide. Sienna commenced sales of its first product SCD-A7, an anti-telomerase antibody, in January 2015 through a partnership with a leading U.S. uropathology laboratory, which now deploys the product in a bladder cancer diagnostic test.
About anti-hTERT antibody (SCD-A7)
Sienna’s anti-hTERT antibody (SCD-A7) can be used in lab developed diagnostic tests to detect telomerase. Registration of SCD-A7 with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an Analyte Specific Reagent (ASR) followed cGMP manufacturing and compliance with the FDA’s Quality Systems Regulations. FDA registration enables Sienna to supply SCD-A7 to US-based pathology companies for use in urine-based in vitro diagnostic test to detect telomerase.
About Telomerase and Bladder Cancer
Telomerase is a naturally-occurring enzyme expressed in some replicating human cells and malignant tumours, including bladder cancer. It is widely regarded as having potential in both therapeutic and diagnostic applications. In 2009, the Nobel Prize in Physiology / Medicine was awarded for the discovery of telomerase to three co-workers, including Australian Elizabeth Blackburn. Unlike many potential cancer biomarkers in development, telomerase is well-established in the scientific literature as associated with ~90% of human cancers, signifying its key role in cancer development.
Bladder cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the USA, and the first in terms of total medical care cost per patient due to its propensity to re-occur after diathermy or resection of lesions from the bladder wall. Over 70,000 individuals are diagnosed with bladder cancer annually in the USA and more than 530,000 people in the USA live with a history of bladder cancer, thus requiring regular diagnostic monitoring. It is estimated that approximately 1.5 million cytology tests are conducted annually in the USA for initial diagnosis and ongoing monitoring of bladder cancer patients. The gold-standard test for diagnosis (called a cystoscopy) is a costly and invasive procedure. Cytology alone has poor rates of detection, especially for early stage cancer, and Sienna’s diagnostic platform will offer a simple, cost effective, non-invasive test for telomerase, which pathologists may use as an adjunct to cytology to address this unmet need.
