PRINCETON, N.J., Jan. 05, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Advaxis, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADXS ), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing cancer immunotherapies, today announced the establishment of a Scientific Advisory Board (“SAB”) of distinguished scientists and physicians. The newly formed SAB will serve as a resource to Advaxis in the development of its Lm Technology™ platform, which includes clinical programs in HPV-associated cancers (cervical, anal, and head and neck), HER2 expressing tumors (breast, gastric, esophageal and osteosarcoma) and prostate cancer.
The founding Advaxis SAB members are:
Antoni Ribas, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Ribas is a professor of medicine, professor of surgery, and professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). He is also director of the Tumor Immunology Program at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC). Ribas conducts laboratory and clinical research in malignant melanoma, focusing on gene engineered adoptive cell transfer (ACT) therapies, anti-CTLA4 antibodies, anti-PD-1 antibodies, BRAF and MEK inhibitors and nanoparticle-siRNA.
Jedd Wolchok, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Wolchok is chief of the Melanoma and Immunotherapeutics service and is the Lloyd J. Old and Daniel K. Ludwig Chair in Clinical Investigation at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He is a specialist in melanoma with a clinical expertise in immunotherapy and cancer vaccines. Wolchok's research focuses on the development of innovative ways to use the immune system to treat cancer.
Nancy Freitag, Ph.D. Dr. Freitag is a professor in the Microbiology and Immunology Department and the Associate Director of the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her research focuses on understanding how pathogens, including Listeria monocytogenes , come to invade and live within human and animal cells, and discovering the mechanisms used by mammalian cells to fight off pathogenic intruders.
Marc Lecuit, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Lecuit is a microbiologist and infectious diseases physician. He is the director of the Biology Infection Unit at Institut Pasteur and Inserm. He is a professor at the Paris Descartes University and deputy head of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine at the Necker-Enfants Malades University Hospital. Listeria microbiology and listeriosis pathophysiology are a major focus of his research.
The SAB members will also offer their expertise and feedback to support Advaxis’ preclinical programs, which include ADXS-NEO, an individualized treatment for cancer that takes advantage of genomic sequencing to identify and target specific mutations in each patient’s tumor.
“The new members of our scientific team, all leaders in their respective fields, share with Advaxis the common goal of rapidly bringing new treatment options to patients in need,” said Daniel J. O'Connor, President and Chief Executive Officer of Advaxis. “Each brings invaluable experience to the team as we make decisions on where to expand and hone our research and clinical programs.”
About Advaxis, Inc. Located in Princeton, N.J., Advaxis, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing multiple cancer immunotherapies based on its proprietary Lm Technology™. The Lm Technology™, using bioengineered live attenuated Listeria monocytogenes ( Lm ) bacteria, is the only known cancer immunotherapy agent shown in preclinical studies to both generate cancer fighting T-cells directed against a cancer antigen and neutralize Tregs and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) that protect the tumor microenvironment from immunologic attack and contribute to tumor growth. Advaxis's lead Lm Technology™ immunotherapy, axalimogene filolisbac, targets human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers and is in clinical trials for three potential indications: Phase 2 in invasive cervical cancer, Phase 1/2 in head and neck cancer, and Phase 1/2 in anal cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted axalimogene filolisbac orphan drug designation for each of these three clinical settings. Advaxis has two additional immunotherapy products: ADXS-PSA in prostate cancer and ADXS-HER2 in HER2 expressing solid tumors, in human clinical development.
For additional information on Advaxis, visit www.advaxis.com and connect on Twitter , LinkedIn , Facebook , YouTube and Google+ .
Forward-Looking Statements This media statement contains forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: statements regarding Advaxis’s ability to develop the next generation of cancer immunotherapies; and the safety and efficacy of Advaxis’s proprietary immunotherapies. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, including the risk factors set forth from time to time in Advaxis’s SEC filings, including but not limited to its report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014, which is available at http://www.sec.gov . Advaxis undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revision to these forward-looking statements, which may be made to reflect the events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.
CONTACTS: Company: Advaxis, Inc. Greg Mayes, Executive Vice President and COO mayes@advaxis.com 609.452.9813 ext. 102 Media Contact: JPA Health Communications Cory Tromblee cory@jpa.com 617-571-7220
