Genprex Strengthens Leadership Team with the Appointment of Two Accomplished Life Science Executives
March 23 2020 - 7:17AM
Business Wire
Seasoned industry professionals underpinned by
newly strengthened balance sheet to drive key clinical programs
Genprex, Inc. (“Genprex” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: GNPX), a
clinical-stage gene therapy company developing potentially
life-changing technologies for patients with cancer and diabetes,
today announced the appointment of Catherine M. Vaczy as Executive
Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer and Michael T. Redman as
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. These
appointments follow on the heels of the Company’s Fast Track
Designation for its lead drug candidate, its newly licensed gene
therapy for diabetes and capital raise of over $26 million that
will support funding its clinical programs. Both executives will
play pivotal roles as the Company advances toward the start of new
clinical trials later this year and pursues partnerships for the
development of its gene therapies.
“We are delighted to welcome Catherine and Michael to our
executive leadership team. They join us at an exciting time as we
advance our lead drug candidate into key clinical programs in
non-small cell lung cancer and pursue partnership opportunities for
our oncology platform and newly licensed gene therapy technology
for diabetes,” said Rodney Varner, Chief Executive Officer of
Genprex. “Catherine and Michael each have significant biotechnology
company experience that enhances our capabilities and will be
instrumental in advancing our programs. Their combined expertise in
business development, corporate strategy, manufacturing, clinical
trial strategy and operations and regulatory affairs will be of
great value as we build Genprex into a leading gene therapy company
bringing new treatment options to patients in need. We are
fortunate to have raised over $26 million just prior to the current
turmoil in the markets, significantly strengthening our balance
sheet and well positioning us financially as we execute on our
strategic plan.”
Ms. Vaczy has more than 20 years of experience as a founder and
senior executive of life science companies, serving as a strategic
partner and business and legal advisor to senior leadership teams
and boards. Most recently, Ms. Vaczy has provided strategic
advisory services to early stage biotechnology companies. In 2005,
Ms. Vaczy co-founded and served for ten years on the senior
leadership team of NeoStem, Inc. (now Caladrius Biosciences), a
Nasdaq-listed clinical stage biotechnology company that combined a
leading cell and gene therapy process development and manufacturing
organization (sold to Hitachi Chemical) with a development pipeline
of cell therapy products. Prior to that, she was an early employee
and served on the senior leadership team of Nasdaq-listed ImClone
Systems Incorporated (sold to Eli Lily and Company), a pioneer in
targeted cancer therapy, where she was instrumental in forging
important strategic alliances, including a transformative $1
billion co-development deal for the Company’s blockbuster drug,
Erbitux. Earlier in her career, Ms. Vaczy was a practicing attorney
in a nationally recognized law firm representing early stage life
science and other technology companies. Ms. Vaczy received a BA
degree from Boston College and a JD degree from St. John’s
University School of Law.
Mr. Redman brings more than 30 years of experience in the life
sciences industry to Genprex. He has held a variety of key
executive roles at clinical-stage companies, where he focused on
strategic business development and U.S. and worldwide manufacturing
and clinical operations. He has been instrumental in the
consummation of multiple strategic transactions in the
biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. From 2007-2019, Mr.
Redman served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of
Oncolix, Inc., a publicly traded clinical-stage biopharmaceutical
company focused on developing therapies for women’s and children’s
cancers. During his tenure at Oncolix, he advanced the company’s
lead drug into human clinical trials, completed the in-licensing of
a promising radiopharmaceutical drug for the treatment of
bone-related cancers, and took the company public. Prior to that,
he was the CEO of Bone Medical, Inc., an Australian-based clinical
stage company developing oral peptide products for the treatment of
osteoporosis. In 2001, he co-founded Opexa Pharmaceuticals, a
company developing immunotherapies for a variety of diseases, and
served as its President and CEO until 2005. Mr. Redman also held
key management positions with Zonagen (now Repros Therapeutics,
which is a part of Allergan), Aronex Pharmaceuticals, Biovail
Corporation and American Home Products (acquired by Pfizer). Mr.
Redman earned a BA in Biology from the University of Missouri and
an MBA from the University of Phoenix.
About Genprex, Inc. Genprex, Inc. is a clinical-stage
gene therapy company developing potentially life-changing
technologies for patients with cancer and diabetes. Genprex’s
technologies are designed to administer disease-fighting genes to
provide new treatment options for large patient populations with
serious diseases who currently have limited treatment options.
Genprex works with world-class institutions and collaborators to
in-license and develop drug candidates to further its pipeline of
gene therapies in order to provide novel treatment approaches for
patients with cancer and other serious diseases. The Company’s lead
product candidate, Oncoprex™, is being evaluated as a treatment for
non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Oncoprex has a multimodal
mechanism of action that has been shown to interrupt cell signaling
pathways that cause replication and proliferation of cancer cells;
re-establish pathways for apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in
cancer cells; and modulate the immune response against cancer
cells. Oncoprex has also been shown to block mechanisms that create
drug resistance. In January 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration granted Fast Track Designation for Oncoprex
immunogene therapy for NSCLC in combination therapy with
osimertinib (AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso®). For more information, please
visit the Company’s web site at www.genprex.com or follow Genprex
on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statements Statements contained in this
press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Because such statements
are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ
materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to,
statements regarding the effect of Genprex’s product candidates,
alone and in combination with other therapies , on cancer and
diabetes, regarding potential, current and planned clinical trials,
regarding our possible strategic partnerships and regarding our
financial resources. Risks that contribute to the uncertain nature
of the forward-looking statements include the presence and level of
the effect of our product candidates, alone and in combination with
other therapies, on cancer and diabetes; the timing and success of
our clinical trials and planned clinical trials of Oncoprex™, alone
and in combination with targeted therapies and/or immunotherapies,
and whether other potential product candidates, including our gene
therapy in diabetes advance into clinical trials; our ability to
enter into strategic partnerships and the success of those
partnerships; the timing and success of obtaining FDA approval of
Oncoprex™ and other potential product candidates; and the extent
and duration of the current and future economic challenges we may
face. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more
fully under the caption “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our filings
and reports with the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this press
release speak only as of the date on which they were made. We
undertake no obligation to update such statements to reflect events
that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they
were made.
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Genprex, Inc. (877) 774-GNPX (4679)
Investor Relations GNPX Investor Relations (877) 774-GNPX
(4679) ext. #2 investors@genprex.com
Media Contact Genprex Media Relations Kalyn Dabbs (877)
774-GNPX (4679) ext. #3 media@genprex.com
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