BOSTON and MONTREAL, April 9,
2024 /CNW/ - enGene Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: ENGN
or "enGene" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage genetic medicines
company whose non-viral, intravesical lead product candidate,
EG-70, is in a pivotal study for BCG-unresponsive non-muscle
invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), today announced that Raj Pruthi MD
MHA FACS has joined the Company as SVP, Urologic Oncology and
Clinical Development, reporting to enGene's Chief Medical Officer,
Dr. Richard Bryce. In this role, Dr.
Pruthi's responsibilities will include supporting the clinical
development of EG-70 across the urologic space, including through
engagement with the urological community. He joins enGene from
Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, where he was most
recently the Global Medical Affairs Leader, Bladder Cancer and
Senior Medical Director, Oncology (Global – Prostate and Bladder
Cancer).
"We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Raj Pruthi
to the enGene team. He is a renowned physician-scientist with over
25 years' experience in the urology space," said Jason Hanson, Chief Executive Officer of enGene.
"With a track record of leadership and engagement within the
urology community, such as his service on the committee to help
develop the American Urological Association's guidelines on
management of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, we believe Dr.
Pruthi will be a strong addition to our team as we continue our
LEGEND study of EG-70 in both BCG-unresponsive and BCG-naïve NMIBC
patients and consider expansion of EG-70 into additional urologic
indications."
"This is an exciting time to join
enGene. I believe that the EG-70 safety and efficacy data in
BCG-unresponsive NMIBC shown to date are highly encouraging and
suggest that this product candidate has the potential to become an
important medicine that is utilized broadly across the continuum of
bladder care. In addition, the design characteristics of EG-70,
including ease of use without the onerous storage and handling
requirements typical of viral approaches, support the potential for
utilization by the entire urological community, whether in a
community, large group practice or academic setting," said Dr.
Pruthi. "I look forward to working alongside the team to advance
the pivotal LEGEND study and furthering our mission of bringing new
therapies to patients in need."
In addition to his position at enGene, Dr.
Pruthi maintains multiple prominent leadership roles within the
urological community. He is the Chair of the Advisory Council for
Urology of the American College of Surgeons and serves on its Board
of Governors. He is currently an Adjunct Professor in the
Department of Urology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of
Medicine at Hofstra
University/Northwell and previously served as Professor and
Chair of both the UCSF Department of Urology and the Department of
Urology at the University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill.
He was a member of the American Board of
Urology (ABU)/ American Urological Association (AUA) Examination
Committee and is Past-President for the Society of Academic
Urology. He served on the Guidelines Committee and helped to
develop the AUA Guidelines on the Management of Non-muscle Invasive
Bladder Cancer, and also served on the Bladder Cancer Guidelines
Committee of the International Consultation on Urological
Diseases.
Dr. Pruthi graduated from Duke
University School of Medicine and completed his residency
and post-graduate training in Urologic Surgery at Stanford University. He also holds a Master's of
Health Administration from the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
About enGene
enGene is a late-stage biotechnology company mainstreaming
genetic medicines through the delivery of therapeutics to mucosal
tissues and other organs, whose lead program EG-70 is being
evaluated in an ongoing pivotal study for patients with non-muscle
invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with carcinoma in situ (Cis) who
are unresponsive or naïve to treatment with Bacillus
Calmette-Guérin (BCG). EG-70 was developed using enGene's
proprietary Dually Derivatized Oligochitosan (DDX) platform, which
enables penetration of mucosal tissues and delivery of a wide range
of sizes and types of cargo, including DNA and various forms of
RNA. enGene became a publicly traded company effective November 1, 2023, upon the completion of a
business combination with Forbion European Acquisition Corporation,
a special purpose acquisition company. For more information, visit
enGene.com.
Forward-Looking
Statements
Some of the statements contained in this press release may
constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the
safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995, and "forward-looking information" within the meaning
of Canadian securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking
statements"). enGene's forward-looking statements include, but are
not limited to, statements regarding enGene's expectations, hopes,
beliefs, intentions, goals, strategies, forecasts and projections.
The words "anticipate", "appear", "approximate", "believe",
"continue", "could", "estimate", "expect", "foresee", "intend",
"may", "might", "plan", "possible", "potential", "predict",
"project", "seek", "should", "would", and similar expressions may
identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words
does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking.
Forward-looking statements may include, for example, statements
about: our beliefs as to the potential benefits of EG-70 and
potential for its broad adoption.
Many factors, risks, uncertainties and assumptions could cause
the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to differ
materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking
statements, including, without limitation, the Company's ability to
recruit and retain qualified scientific and management personnel;
establish clinical trial sites and enroll patients in its clinical
trials; execute on the Company's clinical development plans and
ability to secure regulatory approval on anticipated timelines; and
other risks and uncertainties detailed in filings with Canadian
securities regulators on SEDAR+ and with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission ("SEC") on EDGAR, including those described in
the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Annual Report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31,
2023 (copies of which may be obtained at www.sedarplus.ca or
www.sec.gov).
You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made.
enGene anticipates that subsequent events and developments will
cause enGene's assessments to change. While enGene may elect to
update these forward-looking statements at some point in the
future, enGene specifically disclaims any obligation to do so,
unless required by applicable law. Nothing in this press release
should be regarded as a representation by any person that the
forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or
that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking
statements will be achieved.
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SOURCE enGene Inc.