EMERYVILLE, Calif., June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Thios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the appointment of Elizabeth C. Squiers, M.D., F.A.C.S. to the newly created position of vice president of clinical development. Dr. Squiers will be responsible for the development of TS1, Thios' lead product candidate for the prevention of delayed graft function in kidney transplantation, the treatment of acute chest syndrome in sickle cell disease and the prevention of deep vein thrombosis in high-risk trauma patients.
"Beth possesses extensive experience in creating and executing superior clinical development programs as well as unique expertise as a former clinical investigator in transplantation trials," said Bruce A. Hironaka, president and chief executive officer of Thios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. "We welcome Beth to our team as we prepare to initiate three TS1 clinical trials by the end of 2004 and expect her leadership will enhance each of these programs significantly."
Dr. Squiers joined Thios from Genzyme Corporation (previously SangStat Medical Corporation) where she was vice president, clinical research, responsible for clinical research and development, pharmacovigilance and medical affairs. While at SangStat in addition to being involved in the filing of the BLA for Thymoglobulin, she implemented electronic reporting and data analysis systems. Prior to SangStat, she was an associate professor of surgery at the State University of New York in Syracuse where she directed and expanded the transplant program, became a principal investigator for several clinical trials and performed the first pancreas and islet cell transplant in upstate New York. In addition, she spent several years at the Geisinger Medical Center as an assistant professor of surgery of Jefferson Medical College. She is the author on over 110 publications in many areas of immunology, surgery and transplantation, and is an active member of numerous professional societies including the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Society of Hematology, and the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Squiers holds an M.D. from Jefferson Medical College in Pennsylvania, and a B.S. from Pennsylvania State University and is board certified in general surgery.
About Thios Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Thios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is committed to becoming the leader in the discovery, development and commercialization of proprietary therapies that target biological sulfation. Sulfation is a major regulatory mechanism for extracellular and cell surface communication. Dysregulation of sulfation can contribute to specific diseases including inflammation and cancer. Sulfation of extracellular molecules has analogies to phosphorylation of intracellular proteins, a process that has been exploited for drug development in the form of kinase inhibitors. Kinases, which attach phosphate groups to proteins, are now widely recognized as an important class of biological targets. Sulfation is emerging as an innovative field with the potential to define the next decade of drug discovery research. Thios is backed by leading life science venture capital firms and recently signed an agreement with Wyeth to in-license TS1, a clinical stage, sulfated compound with extensive human safety data. Thios is poised to enter into clinical development with TS1, its lead product (also known as rPSGL-Ig), with initial areas of interest including the prevention of delayed graft function following kidney transplantation, the treatment of acute chest syndrome associated with sickle cell disease, and the prevention of deep vein thrombosis in high-risk trauma patients.
Thios Pharmaceuticals, Inc.CONTACT: Bruce A. Hironaka, President and Chief Executive Officer ofThios Pharmaceuticals, Inc., bruce@thiospharm.com
Web site: http://www.thiospharm.com/
