 |
Nottingham, UK, 30 July 2010 - Pharminox Limited ("Pharminox" or "the Company"), the UK-based cancer drug discovery and development company, today announced that Dr Marc Hummersone has been appointed to the Board of Directors as Research Director. Dr Hummersone joined the Company from KuDOS Pharmaceuticals in April 2008 as Head of Chemistry.
The Company also announced that Professor Malcolm Stevens OBE, FRS is standing down from the Board and as Chief Scientific Officer and will take up the honorary position of CSO Emeritus.
In his new role, Dr Hummersone will take over full responsibility for discovery research operations and strategy within Pharminox. Professor Stevens will continue to provide input and support on all aspects of discovery research in his capacity as CSO Emeritus.
Commenting on today’s announcement, Peter Worrall, Chief Executive of Pharminox said, “Marc’s appointment recognises the exceptional contribution that he has made in the two years since he came to Pharminox, both in building a high calibre discovery research team and also in refining the Company’s discovery activities to focus on targeted DNA damage and inhibition of DNA repair.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Malcolm Stevens for the huge contribution he has made to the development of Pharminox over the last six years. I am very pleased that Malcolm intends to retain close ties with the Company in his new role as CSO Emeritus, and that we will continue to benefit from his valuable insights and enormous experience in cancer drug discovery.”
Enquiries:
Pharminox
Peter Worrall, Chief Executive
Tel: +44 (0)1428 645416 / +44 (0)7887 682669
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Mark Swallow PhD
Tel: +44 (0)20 7282 2948 / +44 (0)7903 737703
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Marc Hummersone
Marc Hummersone PhD joined Pharminox in April 2008 as Head of Chemistry. He was previously Chemistry Group leader at KuDOS Pharmaceuticals, the DNA repair company, where he lead a team of 20 chemists working on the key KuDOS programs, including olaparib, a PARP-inhibitor that has now been progressed into Phase III clinical trials by AstraZeneca.
Dr Hummersone graduated from Leeds University with a degree in Chemistry, and subsequently completed his PhD & post doctoral studies at University College London, where he worked on the total synthesis of complex natural products. Prior to joining KuDOS he was engaged in academic research for a number of years, during which time he successfully completed the formal synthesis of Bryostatin, a complex marine macrolide.
Dr Hummersone has extensive experience in the field of DNA repair. He has authored and co-authored a large number of publications in the field of oncology, chemistry and medicinal chemistry and is named as inventor on numerous patents.
About Pharminox Ltd
Pharminox (www.pharminox.com) is an emerging UK company engaged in the discovery, research and development of small molecule drugs for the treatment of common forms of cancer. It is building a highly promising and innovative portfolio of potential first-in-class programs, with a research focus on molecularly targeted DNA damage and inhibition of DNA damage repair mechanisms.
The Pharminox pipeline includes:
1. Phortress, a DNA-interactive compound with an innovative mechanism of action based on intra-cellular induction of cytochrome P450 1A1. This compound is currently in Phase I clinical trials;
2. PMX 500 - a world-leading preclinical telomere targeting program focused on agents that promote rapid cell death by disrupting telomere function and blocking the activity of telomerase. The elucidation of the function of the telomere and its associated enzyme telomerase, and their critical role in cancer, was the subject of the 2009 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine;
3. PMX 700 - a program to discover and develop follow up compounds to the marketed anti-cancer drug temozolomide (TemodarTM, TemodalTM, Merck & Co., Inc., NSYE: MRK) that are able to block the DNA repair mechanism which renders the majority of tumours resistant to temozolomide.
4. a program to discover compounds that inhibit the activity of a key protein in the Base Excision Repair pathway, another important DNA repair mechanism.
Pharminox has world-class expertise in medicinal chemistry and a Board, management and advisory team with exceptional experience in the discovery, research and development of cancer therapeutics. The Pharminox team includes the discoverers of two of the world’s leading marketed anti-cancer drugs, temozolomide (Temodartm, Temodaltm) and erlotinib (Tarcevatm).
The Company was formed as a spin-out from Oxford University at the beginning of 2002. Its R&D activities are now based at BioCity Nottingham in Nottingham, UK.
peop
|
