Dr. David Sidransky Appointed Chairman of Champions Biotechnology, Inc.
October 23 2007 - 8:03AM
PR Newswire (US)
ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Champions
Biotechnology, Inc. (OTC:CSBR) (BULLETIN BOARD: CSBR) , a
development stage biotechnology company, announced today the
appointment of Dr. David Sidransky, Director of the Head and Neck
Cancer Research Division at Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine, to serve as Chairman of the Board, replacing James
Martell who has served in that capacity since 1991. Dr. Sidransky
was appointed to serve on the Company's Board of Directors in
August 2007. He is the largest shareholder of Champions
Biotechnology. Dr. Sidransky, 47, is a renowned oncologist and
research scientist named and profiled by TIME magazine in 2001 as
one of the top physicians and scientists in America, recognized for
his work with early detection of cancer. He is Professor of
Oncology, Otolaryngology, Cellular & Molecular Medicine,
Urology, Genetics, and Pathology at John Hopkins University and
Hospital. Dr. Sidransky is one of the five most highly cited
researchers in clinical and medical journals in the world, in the
field of oncology during the past decade, with over 300
peer-reviewed publications. He has contributed more than 40 cancer
reviews and chapters. Dr. Sidransky is a founder of a number of
biotechnology companies and holds numerous biotechnology patents.
Dr. Sidransky has served as Vice Chairman of the Board of
Directors, and presently is a director of ImClone. He is a Vice
Chairman of Alfacell and serves on the Board of Directors of
Xenomics. He is serving and has served on scientific advisory
boards of MedImmune, Roche, Amgen and Veridex, LLC (a Johnson &
Johnson diagnostic company), among others. Dr. Sidransky serves as
Director (2005-2008) of American Association for Cancer Research
(AACR). He was the chairperson of AACR International Conferences
(2006 and 2007) on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic
Development: Maximizing Opportunities for Individualized Treatment.
Dr. Sidransky is the recipient of a number of awards and honors,
including the 1997 Sarstedt International Prize from the German
Society of Clinical Chemistry, the 1998 Alton Ochsner Award
Relating Smoking and Health by the American College of Chest
Physicians and the 2004 Hinda and Richard Rosenthal Award from the
American Association of Cancer Research. "I am highly honored by
the great privilege of having Dr. Sidransky lead the company into
the future as its Chairman" said James Martell, President and CEO
of Champions Biotechnology. "Dr. Sidransky is a creative,
out-of-the box thinker with wide-ranging academic and business
background and extensive contacts within the pharmaceutical
industry, academia and government. He will provide the vision,
direction, drive and inspiration to grow our Company into what we
hope will be one of the leading biotechnology players in the world,
in the fight against disease." Champions Biotechnology is actively
engaged, as stated in the Company's most recent 10-QSB filing, in
pursuit of long term funding, additional opportunities to grow and
strengthen the Company, development of management team, selection
and appointment of new members to the Board of Directors and
formation of a Scientific Advisory Board. The Company looks forward
to reporting updates regarding any material events and corporate
changes in the future. About Champions Biotechnology, Inc.
Champions Biotechnology is a twenty two year old publicly traded
company that beginning in January 2007, changed its business
direction to focus on biotechnology. The Company is engaged in the
acquisition and early stage development of a portfolio of new
therapeutic drug candidates, in the acquisition and development of
novel technologies and in providing administrative services in the
field of oncology that the Company hopes will improve methods of
and approaches to disease treatment. Champions Biotechnology plans
to develop a portfolio of new therapeutic drug candidates through
pre-clinical trials and possibly early phase ("first in man")
clinical trials. If therapeutic drug candidates reach this early
stage of development, Champions Biotechnology intends to sell,
partner with, or license them to pharmaceutical and/or
biotechnology companies, as appropriate. Management believes this
strategy will enable Champions Biotechnology to leverage the
competencies of these partners or licensees to maximize Champions
Biotechnology's return on investment in a relatively short time
frame. Champions Biotechnology believes that this model is unlike
that of typical new biotechnology companies that look to bring the
process of drug development through all phases of discovery,
development, regulatory approvals, and marketing, which requires a
very large financial commitment and a long time, typically more
than a decade, to realize. In February 2007, Champions
Biotechnology acquired the patent rights to two Benzoylphenylurea
(BPU) sulfur analog compounds that have shown promising potent
activity against prostate and pancreatic cancer cell lines. In May
2007, Champions Biotechnology acquired Biomerk Inc. a company
focused on generating a novel preclinical platform of human cancer
tumor immune-deficient mice xenografts (Biomerk Tumorgrafts(TM)).
Biomerk Tumorgrafts(TM), unlike standard cell line derived
xenografts, are implanted directly from primary human cancer tumors
and never passaged in cell tissue culture. Champions Biotechnology
believes that these xenografts more closely reflect human cancer
biology and are more predictive of clinical outcome. Champions
Biotechnology believes that it as well as biotechnology and
pharmaceutical companies, as part of their drug discovery and post
marketing efforts, may benefit from utilizing services that are
more predictive and that might provide for a faster and less
expensive path for drug approval. These services will utilize
Biomerk Tumorgrafts(TM) to evaluate tumor sensitivity/resistance to
various single and combination standard and novel chemotherapy
agents. This press release contains "forward-looking statements"
(within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Act of
1995) that inherently involve risk and uncertainties. Champions
Biotechnology generally uses words such as "believe," "may,"
"could," "will," "intend," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," and
similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. One
should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements. Champions Biotechnology's actual results could differ
materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements
for many unforeseen factors, which may include, but are not limited
to, changes in general economic conditions, the ongoing threat of
terrorism, ability to have access to financing sources on
reasonable terms and other risks that are described in this
document. Although Champions Biotechnology believes the
expectations reflected in the forward- looking statements are
reasonable, they relate only to events as of the date on which the
statements are made, and Champions Biotechnology's future results,
levels of activity, performance or achievements may not meet these
expectations. Champions Biotechnology does not intend to update any
of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press
release to conform these statements to actual results or to changes
in Champions Biotechnology's expectations, except as required by
law. Contact: James Martell (703) - 526-0400
http://www.championsbiotechnology.com/ DATASOURCE: Champions
Biotechnology, Inc. CONTACT: James Martell of Champions
Biotechnology, Inc., +1-703-526-0400 Web site:
http://www.championsbiotechnology.com/
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