SAN DIEGO, CA and TORONTO, March 23,
2015 /CNW/ - Aptose Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ: APTO, TSX:
APS), a clinical-stage company developing new therapeutics and
molecular diagnostics that target the underlying mechanisms of
cancer, today announced the appointment of Michael Andreeff, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of
Medicine, Department of Leukemia, Division of Cancer Medicine, The
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer
Center (MDACC), to its Scientific Advisory Board.
"We are privileged to have the opportunity to work with Dr.
Andreeff, a world-class researcher in hematopoietic and epithelial
malignancies," said William G. Rice,
Ph.D., Chairman, President and CEO. "Aptose is committed to
building one of the foremost hematology-focused scientific advisory
boards in the industry, and we are fortunate to have the interest
and guidance of this premier group as we pioneer a new class of
drugs for AML and other hematologic indications."
Dr. Andreeff joins Brian Druker,
M.D., Director, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)
Knight Cancer Institute and Daniel D. Von
Hoff, M.D., Physician-in-Chief and Distinguished Professor
of Translational Research at Translational Genomics Research
Institute (Phoenix, AZ), as
scientific advisors for Aptose.
Dr. Andreeff received his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees at the
University of Heidelberg,
Germany, and additional training
and faculty appointments at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer
Center (MSKCC) in New York, NY, in
the Departments of Pathology and Leukemia.
Dr. Andreef is professor of medicine and holds the Paul
and Mary Haas Chair in Genetics at MDACC. He has received
uninterrupted funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for
more than 30 years, serves as the principal investigator (PI) of a
grant entitled "The Therapy of AML", and participates as a PI in
research grants focused on leukemia, lymphoma, ovarian and breast
cancer, among others. He has published more than 450 peer-reviewed
papers, five books and 75 book chapters.
About APTO-253
APTO-253 represents an entirely new
class of anticancer agents, which the Company believes may offer a
competitive advantage over conventional drugs. APTO-253 is a small
molecule optimized to induce the tumor suppressor Krüppel-like
factor 4 (KLF4), leading to apoptotic death in cancer cells that
have the KLF4 gene silenced. This drug candidate has shown
selective and potent antitumor activity in preclinical
investigations of certain human cancers, including solid and liquid
tumors, and has demonstrated a robust safety profile and biological
antitumor activity in a prior Phase 1 clinical trial in patients
with solid tumors. APTO-253 is currently in a Phase 1b,
multicenter, open-label, dose-escalation clinical trial in patients
with relapsed or refractory hematologic malignancies.
About Aptose
Aptose Biosciences is a clinical-stage
biotechnology company committed to discovering and developing
personalized therapies addressing unmet medical needs in oncology.
Aptose is advancing new therapeutics focused on novel cellular
targets on the leading edge of cancer research, coupled with
companion diagnostics to identify the optimal patient population
for the Company's products. Aptose's small molecule cancer
therapeutics pipeline includes products designed to provide
enhanced efficacy with existing anti-cancer therapies and regimens
without overlapping toxicities. Aptose Biosciences Inc. is listed
on NASDAQ under the symbol APTO and on the TSX under the symbol
APS. For further information, please visit www.aptose.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of Canadian and U.S. securities laws. Such
statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to
the Company's plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and
other statements including words such as "continue", "expect",
"intend", "will", "should", "would", "may", and other similar
expressions. Such statements reflect our current views with respect
to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties and are
necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that,
while considered reasonable by us are inherently subject to
significant business, economic, competitive, political and social
uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors could cause our
actual results, performance or achievements to be materially
different from any future results, performance or achievements
described in this press release. Such expressed or implied forward
looking statements could include, among others: our ability to
obtain the capital required for research and operations; the
inherent risks in early stage drug development including
demonstrating efficacy; development time/cost and the regulatory
approval process; the progress of our clinical trials; our ability
to find and enter into agreements with potential partners; our
ability to attract and retain key personnel; changing market
conditions; and other risks detailed from time-to-time in our
ongoing quarterly filings, annual information forms, annual reports
and annual filings with Canadian securities regulators and the
United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize,
or should the assumptions set out in the section entitled "Risk
Factors" in our filings with Canadian securities regulators and the
United States Securities and Exchange Commission underlying those
forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary
materially from those described herein. These forward-looking
statements are made as of the date of this press release and we do
not intend, and do not assume any obligation, to update these
forward-looking statements, except as required by law. We cannot
assure you that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual
results and future events could differ materially from those
anticipated in such statements. Investors are cautioned that
forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance
and accordingly investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance
on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty
therein.
SOURCE Aptose Biosciences Inc.
