CALGARY,
April 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/
- Oncolytics Biotech® Inc. (TSX: ONC) (OTCQX:
ONCYF) (FRA: ONY) ("Oncolytics" or the "Company") today announced
the formation of a Science and Technology Committee made up of
directors Dr. William Rice and Dr.
Bernd Seizinger.
"In addition to many years of senior leadership
in oncology drug development, Drs. Rice and Seizinger bring strong
scientific and medical credentials along with a wealth of industry
and academic contacts to their roles on the committee," said
Wayne Pisano, Chairman of
Oncolytics. "Cancer research and drug development, and indeed our
own specific understanding of how REOLYSIN® works,
continue to evolve at a rapid pace. The committee is charged with
supporting REOLYSIN®'s further development in the
context of the broader oncology space with an ultimate focus on
reaching a commercial endpoint."
Dr. William Rice
has held the position of Chairman, President and Chief Executive
Officer of Aptose Biosciences Inc. since 2013. Preceding
Aptose, he served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive
Officer of Cylene Pharmaceutics Inc., prior to which he was the
Founder, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of
Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He has also served as Senior
Scientist and Head of the Drug Mechanism Laboratory at the National
Cancer Institute-Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center,
and as a faculty member in the Division of Pediatric Hematology and
Oncology at Emory School of Medicine. Dr. Rice holds a PhD in
biochemistry from Emory University and
was a post-doctoral trainee in the Department of Internal Medicine,
Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Michigan Medical Center.
Bernd Seizinger,
MD, PhD, has held the position of Chairman/Executive Chairman of
Opsona Therapeutics Ltd. since 2009. From 1998 to 2009, he served
as President and Chief Executive Officer of GPC Biotech. He also
served as Vice President of Oncology Drug Discovery and, in
parallel, Vice President of Corporate and Academic Alliances at
Bristol-Myers Squibb. Prior to his appointments in the
biotechnology and pharmaceuticals sectors, Dr. Seizinger held
professorships and senior staff appointments at Harvard Medical School, Princeton University and Massachusetts General Hospital.
About Oncolytics Biotech
Inc.
Oncolytics is a Calgary-based biotechnology company focused on
the development of oncolytic viruses as potential cancer
therapeutics. Oncolytics' clinical program includes a variety
of later-stage, randomized human trials in various indications
using REOLYSIN®, its proprietary formulation of the
human reovirus. For further information about Oncolytics, please
visit: www.oncolyticsbiotech.com.
This press release contains forward-looking
statements, within the meaning of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking
statements, including the Company's expectations related to the
role of the Science and Technology Committee, and the Company's
belief as to the potential of REOLYSIN® as a cancer
therapeutic, 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
tolerability of REOLYSIN® outside a controlled test, the
success and timely completion of clinical studies and trials, the
Company's ability to successfully commercialize
REOLYSIN®, uncertainties related to the research,
development and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, changes in
technology, general changes to the economic environment and
uncertainties related to the regulatory process. 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 should consider statements that include the
words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates",
"plans", "projects", "should", or other expressions that are
predictions of or indicate future events or trends, to be uncertain
and forward-looking. 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.
