BRISBANE, Calif., Aug. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- BiPar Sciences, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company developing novel cancer therapies, announced today that Allan Basbaum, Ph.D., chairman of the Department of Anatomy at the University of California-San Francisco, BiPar’s co-founder and a member of the company’s scientific advisory board, was elected to the Royal Society, the United Kingdom’s national academy of sciences.
Dr. Basbaum becomes the second BiPar advisor named to the prestigious group. Frank McCormick, Ph.D., FRS, the director of the UCSF Cancer Research Institute and a member of the company’s scientific/clinical advisory board, was elected to the Royal Society in 1996.
“Allan’s biomedical research has contributed greatly to the body of overall scientific knowledge and to BiPar specifically. His election to the Royal Society recognizes his long history of innovation and puts him in the company of Issac Newton and Charles Darwin,” said Tom White, chief executive officer of BiPar. “In addition, Allan’s election further validates the caliber of individuals working at or advising BiPar on our multiple development programs, most notably our PARP (poly-ADP-ribose polymerase) clinical program in cancer and other diseases.”
Dr. Basbaum was one of 44 new fellows, selected for their contributions to science. Dr. Basbaum is a leading pain researcher, and he has extensively researched the molecular mechanisms of persistent pain and nerve signals, as well as the link between the nervous system and inflammation. The Royal Society was founded in 1660 and is dedicated to promoting excellence in science. There are about 1,400 fellows and foreign members of the group, which includes more than 60 Nobel laureates.
In addition to Drs. Basbaum and McCormick, BiPar’s scientific/clinical advisory board includes Barry Sherman, M.D., the company’s executive vice president, development and the former chief medical officer at Genentech; Cellgate CEO Ed Schnipper, M.D.; Frank E. Stockdale, M.D., Ph.D. of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Stanford University; and Keith Yamamoto, Ph.D., the executive vice dean of the School of Medicine, UCSF.
BiPar is focused on a new class of cancer therapies known as PARP inhibitors that selectively induce tumor cell death. Its lead candidate is BSI-201, a potential best in class compound, now undergoing Phase 1 clinical trials as a single agent for the treatment of a broad range of solid tumors. Phase 1b trials are planned for later this year to evaluate BSI-201 in combination with other agents as well.
About BiPar Sciences
BiPar Sciences Inc. (www.biparsciences.com) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing a novel class of tumor-selective drugs designed to meet the significant unmet needs of cancer patients. The Company’s lead product candidate is BSI-201, which is now in early-stage clinical testing for advanced malignancies. The Company will be evaluating the potential of BSI-201 in multiple cancers and expects to file investigational new drug applications on as many as two additional cancer drug candidates in 2007.
BiPar Sciences, Inc.
CONTACT: Brian Reid of WeissComm Partners, +1-703-402-3626, orbreid@weisscommpartners.com, for BiPar Sciences
Web site: http://www.biparsciences.com/
