IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- AtheroNova
Inc. (OTCBB: AHRO), a biotech company focused on the research and
development of compounds to safely regress atherosclerotic plaque
and improve lipid profiles in humans, today announced that Erik SG
Stroes, MD, Chair and Professor at the Department of Vascular
Medicine at the Academic Medical Center (AMC), Amsterdam has joined the Company as a member
of the Clinical Advisory Board.
"We are pleased to announce that Dr. Stroes has joined
AtheroNova in this very important clinical advisory role as we
continue to expand our scientific and medical teams as we
transition to a clinical stage company," stated Thomas W. Gardner, CEO of AtheroNova. "Dr.
Stroes' leadership in the area of lipidology has been an integral
part of many atherogenesis studies. We feel that adding Dr.
Stroes to the AtheroNova team is significant in its impact on the
knowledge he will contribute to our clinical efforts."
"Professor Stroes is world renowned for his cutting edge
clinical care of cardiovascular patients and for his pioneering
clinical research activities that have contributed to a very
significant reduction in the ravages of cardiovascular disease in
this decade," commented Mark K.
Wedel, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of AtheroNova. "We
are honored that Erik will be bringing his talents and leadership
to AtheroNova's efforts to further improve the plight of
cardiovascular patients."
"I was initially attracted to AtheroNova by the team that they
are building, including my colleagues Dr. John Kastelein and Dr. Steve Nicholls," remarked Dr. Stroes.
"AtheroNova's science, though early-stage, has a chance to become
an important part of the treatment of cardiovascular disease. I am
looking forward to building on the research success of AHRO-001 and
the opportunity to evaluate the drug in clinical trials."
For over two decades, Dr. Stroes has focused on the role of the
vessel wall in atherogenesis development. In the late nineties, he
studied modulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (co-factor
suppletion, gene therapy) as a major topic for research, leading to
the first demonstration of the relevance of nitric oxide synthase
uncoupling in humans with dyslipidemia.
Since his transition to the AMC, Dr. Stroes has focused on lipid
disorders in relation to atherogenesis. He has participated in
numerous lipid lowering trials using surrogate markers such as
intima media thickness (ENHANCE study) and flow mediated dilation.
More recently, he has observed that 3T-MRI has been added as
surrogate marker for vascular disease progression. In addition, his
observations on novel gene defects contributing to lipid disorders
(HDLc, hypertriglyceridemia) have been pursued by collecting
autosomal dominant families with these disorders.
Additionally, Dr. Stroes has been involved in the development of
novel therapeutic moieties for dyslipidemia, such as Lipoprotein
lipase gene therapy, apoB antisense, reconstituted HDL-infusion and
other novel compounds. To date, he has published more than 195
papers in peer reviewed journals.
About AtheroNova
AtheroNova Inc. is a biotechnology company focused on the
discovery, research, development and licensing of novel compounds
to safely reduce or regress atherosclerotic plaque deposits and
improve lipid profiles in humans. In addition to its lead compound
AHRO-001, AtheroNova plans to develop multiple applications for its
patented and patents-pending therapies in market sectors that
include: Cardiovascular Disease, Stroke, Peripheral Artery Disease,
Dementia and Alzheimer's and Erectile Dysfunction, all of which
have been linked to atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis and its
related pharmaceutical expenses for these indications cost
consumers more than $41 billion
annually in the United States
alone. For more information, please visit www.AtheroNova.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release includes "forward-looking statements"
within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United
States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These
statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of
AtheroNova's management and are subject to significant risks and
uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks
or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially
from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to,
general industry conditions and competition; significant
fluctuations in expenses associated with clinical trials, failure
to secure additional financing, the inability to complete
regulatory filings with the Food and Drug Administration, general
economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange
rate fluctuations; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation
and health care legislation in the United
States and internationally; global trends toward health care
cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents
attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product
development, including obtaining regulatory approval; AtheroNova's
ability to accurately predict future market conditions;
manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of
international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the
effectiveness of AtheroNova's patents and other protections for
innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including
patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.
AtheroNova undertakes no obligation to publicly update any
forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause
results to differ materially from those described in the
forward-looking statements can be found in AtheroNova's 2012 Annual
Report on Form 10-K and the company's other filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC's
Internet site (www.sec.gov).
SOURCE AtheroNova Inc.