SAN DIEGO, Sept. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Trovagene,
Inc. (NASDAQ: TROV), a precision medicine biotechnology
company, today announced the expansion and strengthening of its
Board of Directors with the appointment of Athena Countouriotis,
M.D.
Dr. Countouriotis brings significant experience leading clinical
development programs, from preclinical through clinical stages, and
approval. Over the course of her career, she has been
involved in multiple clinical programs, with a focus within
oncology, both hematologic and solid tumor indications, that have
supported regulatory approvals in the U.S. and Europe. Dr.
Countouriotis currently serves as Senior Vice President, Chief
Medical Officer at Adverum Biotechnologies. Prior to joining
Adverum, she served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical
Officer at Halozyme Therapeutics. Dr. Countouriotis was Chief
Medical Officer at Ambit Biosciences through the initial
development of quizartinib, a small molecule FLT3 inhibitor for the
treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia, and ultimate acquisition of
the company by Daiichi Sankyo. Dr. Countouriotis also worked at
both Pfizer and Bristol-Meyers Squibb in various roles leading
clinical development of oncology focused therapeutics. She holds a
M.D. from Tufts University School of
Medicine, completed her pediatric residency at the
University of California, Los Angeles,
and did additional training at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research
Center in the pediatric hematology-oncology program.
"We are pleased to welcome Dr. Countouriotis to our Board of
Directors," said Bill Welch, Chief
Executive Officer of Trovagene. "Dr. Countouriotis has incredible
expertise in the clinical development of oncology therapeutics,
including multiple compounds in leukemia such as Sprycel, Mylotarg,
Bosulif and Quizartinib, which is a FLT3 inhibitor in AML. We look
forward to her contributions and guidance as we continue to advance
PCM-075 for the treatment of patients with hematologic and solid
tumor cancers."
"It is an exciting time at Trovagene as we embark on moving
PCM-075 into the clinic in AML. This a great time to join the
Board of Directors and share my expertise with the company, and I
look forward to working with the Trovagene team," added Dr.
Countouriotis.
About PCM-075
PCM-075 is a highly-selective adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
competitive inhibitor of the serine/threonine polo-like-kinase 1
(PLK 1) enzyme, which is over-expressed in multiple hematologic and
solid solid tumor cancers. Studies have shown that inhibition of
PLK1 can lead to tumor cell death, including multiple Phase 2
studies in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) where response rates of up
to 30% have been observed. A Phase 1 open-label, dose escalation
safety study of PCM-075 has been completed in patients with
advanced metastatic solid tumor cancers, and published in
Investigational New Drugs. Trovagene plans to initiate a
Phase 1b/2 clinical trial with PCM-075 in AML, since it has shown
significant advantages over prior PLK1 inhibitors evaluated in this
indication, including a higher selectivity, greater potency, oral
bioavailability and shorter half-life. PCM-075 has
demonstrated synergy in preclinical studies with over 10
chemotherapeutic and target agents used in hematologic and solid
tumor cancers, including FLT3 and HDAC inhibitors, taxanes, and
cytotoxins. Trovagene believes the combination of its targeted
PLK-1 inhibitor, PCM-075, with other compounds has the potential
for improved clinical efficacy in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML),
Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC), Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
(NHL), Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) and Adrenocortical
Carcinoma (ACC).
About Trovagene, Inc.
Trovagene is a precision medicine biotechnology company
developing oncology therapeutics for improved cancer care by
leveraging its proprietary Precision Cancer Monitoring® (PCM)
technology in tumor genomics. Trovagene has broad
intellectual property and proprietary technology to measure
circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in urine and blood to identify and
quantify clinically actionable markers for predicting response to
cancer therapies. Trovagene offers its PCM technology at its
CLIA/CAP – accredited laboratory and plans to continue to
vertically integrate its PCM technology with precision cancer
therapeutics. For more information, please visit
https://www.trovagene.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking
within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. These statements may be identified by the use of words
such as "anticipate," "believe," "forecast," "estimated" and
"intend" or other similar terms or expressions that concern
Trovagene's expectations, strategy, plans or intentions. These
forward-looking statements are based on Trovagene's current
expectations and actual results could differ materially.
There are a number of factors that could cause actual events
to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking
statements. These factors include, but are not limited to,
our need for additional financing; our ability to continue as a
going concern; clinical trials involve a lengthy and expensive
process with an uncertain outcome, and results of earlier studies
and trials may not be predictive of future trial results; our
clinical trials may be suspended or discontinued due to unexpected
side effects or other safety risks that could preclude approval of
our product candidates; uncertainties of government or third party
payer reimbursement; dependence on key personnel; limited
experience in marketing and sales; substantial competition;
uncertainties of patent protection and litigation; dependence upon
third parties; our ability to develop tests, kits and systems and
the success of those products; regulatory, financial and business
risks related to our international expansion and risks related to
failure to obtain FDA clearances or approvals and noncompliance
with FDA regulations. There are no guarantees that any of our
technology or products will be utilized or prove to be commercially
successful, or that Trovagene's strategy to design its liquid
biopsy tests to report on clinically actionable cancer genes will
ultimately be successful or result in better reimbursement
outcomes. Additionally, there are no guarantees that future
clinical trials will be completed or successful or that any
precision medicine therapeutics will receive regulatory approval
for any indication or prove to be commercially successful.
Investors should read the risk factors set forth in Trovagene's
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, and other
periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. While the list of factors presented here is
considered representative, no such list should be considered to be
a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties.
Unlisted factors may present significant additional obstacles
to the realization of forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements included herein are made as of the
date hereof, and Trovagene does not undertake any obligation to
update publicly such statements to reflect subsequent events or
circumstances.
Trovagene Contact:
Vicki
Kelemen
VP, Corporate Communications
858-952-7652
vkelemen@trovagene.com
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SOURCE Trovagene, Inc.