CALGARY and SAN DIEGO, Nov. 30,
2017 /PRNewswire/ - Oncolytics Biotech® Inc.
(TSX: ONC) (OTCQX: ONCYF) (Oncolytics or the Company), a biotech
company developing REOLYSIN®, also known as pelareorep,
an intravenously delivered immuno-oncolytic virus that activates
the innate and adaptive immune systems to turn 'cold' tumors 'hot',
today announced the establishment of its Scientific Advisory Board
(SAB). The SAB will provide Oncolytics with significant
clinical expertise and experience in breast cancer drug development
in both the U.S. and Europe with
the following initial members:
- Dr. Mattine Piccart, M.D.,
Ph.D., Professor of Oncology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Director of the Medicine
Department, TRANSBIG and Jules Bordet Institute, Brussels, Belgium, Member, BCRF Scientific
Advisory Board
- Dr. Aleix Prat, M.D., Ph.D.,
Head, Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona & Associate Professor,
University of Barcelona, SOLTI - Breast
Cancer Research Group
- Dr. Padmanee Sharma, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Department of
Genitourinary Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer
Center, Houston, TX
"As we continue to expand our collaborative third-party
expertise to build on the momentum of our phase 3 program in
metastatic breast cancer, we are delighted to introduce a strong
Scientific Advisory Board comprised of world-renowned clinical and
medical oncologists," said Dr. Matt
Coffey, President and CEO of Oncolytics Biotech. "Drs.
Piccart, Prat and Sharma will provide crucial guidance based on
their specializations in breast cancer drug development and cancer
immunotherapy, which parallel the development plan we have
established for REOLYSIN."
Dr. Mattine Piccart is a
Professor of Oncology at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and a member of the Breast Cancer
Research Foundation (BCRF) SAB. She is a member of the European
Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) Magnitude of Clinical Benefit
Scale Working Group and co-founder and Chair of the Breast
International Group (BIG), an international group that includes
more than 56 cooperative groups, more than 10,000 experts and links
more than 3,000 hospitals. Dr. Piccart was President of ESMO from
2012 to 2013 and the European Cancer Organization (ECCO) from 2014
to 2015. She is a former president of the European Organisation for
Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and served on the American
Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Board. Author or co-author of
more than 470 peer-reviewed publications, she has received numerous
prestigious awards, including the Jill
Rose Award, the William L.
McGuire Award, the Umberto
Veronesi Award for the Future Fight against Cancer, and 2013
David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award, Dr. Piccart obtained both her
M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the Université Libre de Bruxelles.
Dr. Aleix Prat is the Head of
Medical Oncology of the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Associate Professor of the
University of Barcelona and the Head of
the Translational Genomics and Targeted Therapeutics in Solid
Tumors Group at August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute
(IDIBAPS). Dr. Prat designs and leads clinical trials for novel
drugs and approaches, and has a particular interest in the clinical
implications of different subtypes of breast cancer. He is
currently the scientific coordinator of SOLTI, a Spanish breast
cancer cooperative group, and was recently named as a Member of the
Executive Committee of BIG. In 2008, Dr. Prat became a postdoctoral
research associate at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
(University of North Carolina), and in
2012, returned to Barcelona as the
Head of the Translational Genomics Group at Vall d´Hebron Institute
of Oncology (VHIO). Dr. Prat obtained his M.D. degree in 2003 from
the University of Barcelona and
completed a medical oncology fellowship in 2008 at VHIO.
At the University of Texas MD
Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Padmanee Sharma is a Professor at the
Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, the Co-Director of
the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and Scientific
Director of the Immunotherapy Platform at the Department of
Immunology. She has participated in 54 research outputs since 1996,
focusing primarily on immunotherapy, and is principal investigator
of several immunotherapy clinical trials that study immune and
anti-tumor responses in cancer patients. Dr. Sharma has served as a
member of the BMS Immuno-Oncology Network, a Member of the SAB at
Kite Pharma, Inc. and also recently became a member of
Constellation Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s SAB. Dr. Sharma holds a Ph.D.
in immunology and an M.D. from Pennsylvania
State University.
About Oncolytics Biotech Inc.
Oncolytics is a
biotechnology company developing REOLYSIN, also known as
pelareorep, an intravenously delivered immuno-oncolytic virus. The
compound induces selective tumor lysis and promotes an inflamed
tumor phenotype – turning 'cold' tumors 'hot' – through innate and
adaptive immune responses to treat a variety of cancers.
Oncolytics' clinical development program emphasizes three pillars:
chemotherapy combinations to trigger selective tumor lysis;
immuno-therapy combinations to produce adaptive immune responses;
and immune modulator (IMiD) combinations to facilitate innate
immune responses. Oncolytics is currently planning its first
registration study in metastatic breast cancer, as well as studies
in combination with checkpoint inhibitors and targeted and IMiD
therapies in solid and hematological malignancies. For further
information about Oncolytics, please
visit: www.oncolyticsbiotech.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements,
within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended and forward-looking information under applicable
Canadian securities laws (such forward-looking statements and
forward-looking information are collectively referred to herein as
"forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements,
including the Company's belief as to the potential of
REOLYSIN® as a cancer therapeutic; the anticipated
benefits of the formation of the Scientific Advisory Board to the
Company; the composition of the Scientific Advisory Board; the
Company's plans regarding its first registration study in
metastatic breast cancer and studies in combination with checkpoint
inhibitors and IMiD therapies in solid and hematological
malignancies; and other statements related to anticipated
developments in the Company's business and technologies involve
known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause the
Company's actual results to differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include,
among others, the availability of funds and resources to pursue
research and development projects, the efficacy of REOLYSIN as a
cancer treatment, the success and timely completion of clinical
studies and trials, the Company's ability to successfully
commercialize REOLYSIN, uncertainties related to the research and
development of pharmaceuticals, uncertainties related to the
regulatory process and general changes to the economic environment.
Investors should consult the Company's quarterly and annual filings
with the Canadian and U.S. securities commissions for additional
information on risks and uncertainties relating to the
forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against placing
undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not
undertake to update these forward-looking statements, except as
required by applicable laws.
SOURCE Oncolytics Biotech Inc.