IRVINE, Calif., April 11, 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
Stephen Nicholls, M.B.B.S., PhD.,
Heart Disease Theme leader at the South Australia Health and
Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), has been appointed as chair of
the newly renamed Clinical Advisory Board, replacing the recently
retired Dr. Giorgio Zadini, one of
the co-founders of AtheroNova. Dr. Nicholls will also be a
Co-Principal Investigator in the Company's upcoming clinical
trials.
"As we continue to make positive strides, this is a key step in
our evolution from a pre-clinical to a clinical stage
pharmaceutical company as we move toward entry into Phase 1 in the
near future. Dr. Nicholls brings a wealth of experience in
the imaging and analysis of cardiovascular plaque as we target the
treatment of both serum cholesterol as well as atherosclerosis with
AHRO-001," stated Thomas W. Gardner,
CEO of AtheroNova. "Dr. Nicholls' experience with clinical
developments during his time at the Cleveland Clinic as well as his
new role as the key theme leader in one of the premier research
organizations in Australia is
essential in leading our Clinical Advisory Board. We would
like to thank Dr. Zadini for all of his tremendous efforts and
accomplishments as the key medical advisor of the Company during
the development stage and wish him well."
"Steve is one of the world's most respected authorities in the
imaging of atherosclerosis," commented Mark
Wedel, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of AtheroNova. "We
are profoundly fortunate and appreciative to benefit from his
leadership and expertise as we move forward. His legacy in
the battle against cardiovascular disease first at the Cleveland
Clinic and now at SAHMRI is world renown and look forward to his
contribution. In addition to the other recent additions at
the Company, Steve's role is an exponential addition to our
clinical developments efforts here at AtheroNova."
Dr. Nicholls assumed the position of Heart Disease Theme leader
at the South Australia Health and Medical Research Institute in
May 2012 in conjunction with the
Heart Foundation as a direct effort of the Australian government to
provide research in one of the leading causes of death in
Australia and around the
world. He has taken his efforts to educate and research
directly to the major media in Australia and has been overseeing a major
building initiative to unite the various research efforts currently
conducted by the institute in numerous locations around
Adelaide. His research emphasis includes the functional
properties of HDL, the role of inflammation and oxidative stress in
atherogenesis and the development of new imaging modalities to
assess factors that influence the natural history of
atherosclerosis. He plays a lead role in clinical trials that
employ intravascular ultrasound to investigate the impact of novel
anti-atherosclerotic therapies. He is Professor of Cardiology at
the University of Adelaide and a
Consultant Cardiologist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Prior to joining SAHMRI, Dr. Nicholls was Medical Director of
Intravascular Ultrasound and Angiography Core Laboratories at
Cleveland Clinic and Clinical Director of the Cleveland Clinic
Center for Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Prevention. Dr. Nicholls
was also Associate Director of the Cleveland Clinic Coordinating
Center for Clinical Research and Assistant Professor of Molecular
Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at
Case Western Reserve University. He
held dual faculty appointments in the Robert and Suzanne Tomsich
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine in the Sydell and Arnold
Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute at Cleveland Clinic,
and the Department of Cell Biology in the Learner Research
Institute. He has played a lead role in clinical trials that
investigate the impact of novel anti-atherosclerotic therapies and
is the principal investigator of the SATURN (high dose statins for
evaluating plaque regression), AQUARIUS (renin inhibition), ASSERT
(apoA-I induction) and ASSURE (apoA-I induction) studies,
ACCELERATE (CETP inhibition), study chair of VISTA-16 (sPLA2
inhibition) and serves on the steering committees of the
DalOutcomes (CETP inhibition) and ALECARDIO (PPAR a/g agonist)
studies. He has also authored more than 400 original
manuscripts, meeting abstracts and book chapters.
Dr. Nicholls received his medical degree from the
University of Adelaide in
Australia. Following residency in
internal medicine at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, he completed a
clinical fellowship in cardiovascular medicine at John Hunter
Hospital. He subsequently undertook his doctoral studies, focusing
on the protective properties of high-density lipoproteins (HDL or
"good cholesterol") at the Heart Research Institute in
Sydney. Following this training, Dr. Nicholls completed a
postdoctoral fellowship in plaque imaging at Cleveland Clinic prior
to his faculty appointment.
He is a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians
and American College of Cardiology and a member of the American
Heart Association. He received the Helen May Davies Research Award
from the National Heart Foundation of Australia, the Young Investigator Award at the
13th International Symposium on Atherosclerosis and was a finalist
for the Samuel A. Levine Clinical Young Investigator Award at the
2005 Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Heart
Association.
About AtheroNova
AtheroNova Inc., through its wholly-owned subsidiary, AtheroNova
Operations, Inc., is a biotechnology company focused on the
discovery, research, development and licensing of novel compounds
to reduce or regress atherosclerotic plaque deposits and to safely
improve lipid profiles in humans. In addition to its lead compound
AHRO-001, AtheroNova plans to develop multiple applications for its
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.