Boston Life Sciences Names Scientific and Clinical Advisors for Nerve Repair Program
May 29 2007 - 12:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
Key Thought Leaders in the Area of Spinal Cord Injury Research to
Advise on Cethrin(R) Development Program HOPKINTON, Mass., May 29
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boston Life Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLSI)
today announced the formation of a scientific and clinical advisory
panel for its nerve repair program. The panel will focus on
providing strategic guidance and advice to the Company on the best
avenues and alternatives for successful development of its nerve
repair technologies, primarily in the area of spinal cord injury
(SCI). Currently, the Company is conducting a Phase I/IIa clinical
trial of Cethrin (Rho A inhibitor), the lead nerve repair product
candidate, to treat acute SCI. We believe our scientific and
clinical advisory panel is composed of some of the world's leading
experts in the field of SCI and nerve repair: John F. Ditunno, Jr.
M.D., of Jefferson Medical College; James Fawcett, M.D. of
Cambridge University Centre for Brain Repair; Michael G. Fehlings
M.D. Ph.D. of University of Toronto and Principal Investigator in
the Cethrin trial; Daniel P. Lammertse, M.D. of Craig Hospital;
John Steeves, Ph.D. of University of British Columbia (UBC) and
Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and Mark Tuszynski, M.D., Ph.D. of
University of California at San Diego. They join the Company's
current scientific advisors: Larry Benowitz, Ph.D., Children's
Hospital Boston; Zhigang He, Ph.D., Children's Hospital Boston, and
Joseph Bianchine, M.D., former advisor to Schwarz Pharma. "We are
enthusiastic about the contributions we expect from this talented
panel of advisors to drive the development of Cethrin," aid Mark
Hurtt, MD, Boston Life Sciences' Chief Medical Officer. "Clinical
trial success is maximized by accessing a broad base of thought
leaders. We believe that these leading strategists in the area of
spinal cord research provide a valuable network of connections to
all experts in the field." John F. Ditunno, Jr. M.D. is a Professor
and former Chairman of Rehabilitation Medicine at Thomas Jefferson
University, Jefferson Medical College. For more than three decades,
Dr. Ditunno, has been a leader in the field of spinal cord injury
care, education and research. His current role is as a researcher
for Thomas Jefferson University, Spinal Cord Injury Center of the
Delaware Valley (RSCICDV). He became Emeritus Project Director in
2006, after serving as Project Directory of the RSCICDV since 1978.
Dr. Ditunno was the chairman and editor of the "International
Standards for Neurological and Functional Classification of Spinal
Cord Injury," which provides a universal language for classifying
persons with spinal cord injury that has been accepted by
rehabilitation practitioners throughout the world. James Fawcett,
M.D. is Chairman of Cambridge Centre for Brain Repair, Professor of
Experimental Neurology University of Cambridge, UK and Director of
Medical Studies, King's College. Dr. Fawcett is an organizer of the
ICCP (International Campaign for Cures for Spinal Cord Injury
Paralysis) group developing protocols for clinical trials in spinal
cord injury and he is Chairman of the External Advisory Panel to
ICORD (International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries). His
research group is a member of the Christopher Reeve Foundation
consortium. His research focuses on axon regeneration and
plasticity in the central nervous system and on the response to
brain and spinal cord injury. His research has shown that
treatments that modify the extracellular matrix can promote repair
and recovery. Michael G. Fehlings M.D. Ph.D. FRCSC FACS is a
Professor of Neurosurgery and McLaughlin Scholar in Molecular
Medicine at the University of Toronto, Chairman of the Spinal
Program at the Toronto Western Hospital, Medical Director of the
Krembil Neuroscience Center at the University Health Network and
Krembil Chair in Neural Repair and Regeneration. His main clinical
interests are in complex spinal neurosurgery, and his research
focus is in molecular mechanisms underlying spinal cord injury and
translational research related to spine and spinal cord conditions.
In this regard, Dr. Fehlings directs a New Emerging Team in Spinal
Cord Injury Regenerative Medicine and Nanotechnology which is
funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Dr. Fehlings
is a co-principal investigator in the Christopher and Dana Reeve
Foundation funded North American Clinical Trials Network,
co-director of the Canadian Spinal Cord Injury Translational
Research Network and co-chair of the renowned Spine Trauma Study
Group. He is the principal investigator in the Cethrin PhaseI/IIa
clinical trial. Daniel P. Lammertse, M.D. is the Medical Director
of Craig Hospital which is designated as a Spinal Cord Injury Model
System program by the National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). He is a past- President of the
American Spinal Injury Association and is the immediate past- Chair
of the NIDRR SCI Model Systems Project Directors Committee. He has
also served on the American Paraplegia Society Board of Directors
and the Editorial Board of the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. He
has an appointment as Associate Clinical Professor of
Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Colorado. Dr.
Lammertse serves on the External Advisory Panel of the
International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), and the
Scientific Review Board of the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation. Dr.
Lammertse is an active member of the International Campaign for
Cures for spinal cord injury Paralysis (ICCP) workgroup that has
been developing guidelines for the conduct of clinical trials in
spinal cord injury. John D. Steeves, Ph.D. is the John and Penny
Ryan BC Leadership Chair and Professor in the Departments of
Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Rehabilitation Sciences,
Surgery (Neurosurgery) and Zoology at University of British
Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute. Dr.
Steeves is the founding director of ICORD (International
Collaboration On Repair Discoveries), which is multidisciplinary
research group focused on clinical and discovery research directed
to spinal cord injuries (SCI). He is also an organizer of ICCP
(International Campaign for Cures for Spinal Cord Injury Paralysis)
group developing protocols for clinical trials in spinal cord
injury. Professor Steeves' research has focused on the mechanisms
essential to facilitate functional repair after central nervous
system (CNS) damage. He is recognized as a pioneer for his detailed
characterizations of the pathways from the brain to the spinal cord
that are important for controlling movement and has made major
contributions to understanding the role of myelin in spinal cord
repair. Mark Tuszynski is Professor of Neurosciences at University
of California- San Diego (UCSD), Vice-Chair of the Department, and
Director of the UCSD Center for Neural Repair. Dr. Tuszynski's
pioneering research focuses on the role of growth factors in
influencing plasticity and regeneration in the adult central
nervous system. He actively researches the topics of aging,
Alzheimer's disease, spinal cord injury, and cellular mechanisms of
normal memory. About Boston Life Sciences: Boston Life Sciences,
Inc. (BLSI) is engaged in the research and clinical development of
diagnostic and therapeutic products for central nervous system
(CNS) disorders. Cethrin(R), a recombinant-protein-based drug
designed to promote nerve repair after acute spinal cord injury,
has reported positive interim results in a Phase I/IIa clinical
trial. ALTROPANE(R) molecular imaging agent is in Phase III
clinical trials for the diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease (PD). The
company's research and pre-clinical CNS programs include Inosine
for the treatment of spinal cord injury and stroke, a DAT blocker
for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, and a second generation
technetium-based molecular imaging agent for PD and ADHD. BLSI's
current research collaborations include Harvard Medical School and
Children's Hospital Boston. Safe Harbor The foregoing release
contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-
looking statements include statements regarding Boston Life
Sciences' future expectations, beliefs, intentions, goals,
strategies, plans or prospects regarding the future, including the
development and commercialization of ALTROPANE and Cethrin, the
prospects of the Company's CNS therapeutics program, the Company's
strategies to develop and commercialize axon regeneration
technologies and the breadth of the Company's technologies and
intellectual property portfolio. Forward-looking statements can be
identified by terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "could,"
"could increase the likelihood," "estimate," "expect," "intend,"
"is planned," "may," "should," "will," "will enable," "would be
expected," "look forward," "may provide," "would" or similar terms,
variations of such terms or the negative of those terms. Such
forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors including those risks,
uncertainties and factors referred to in the Company's Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2006 filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission under the section "Risk
Factors," as well as other documents that may be filed by Boston
Life Sciences from time to time with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. As a result of such risks, uncertainties and factors,
the Company's actual results may differ materially from any future
results, performance or achievements discussed in or implied by the
forward-looking statements contained herein. Boston Life Sciences
is providing the information in this press release as of this date
and assumes no obligations to update the information in this press
release. Contact: Sharon Correia Director, Corporate Communications
508-497-2360 ext 224 DATASOURCE: Boston Life Sciences, Inc.
CONTACT: Sharon Correia, Director, Corporate Communications, Boston
Life Sciences, Inc., +1-508-497-2360 ext. 224, or Web site:
http://www.bostonlifesciences.com/
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