MALVERN, PA August 15, 2014 – Progenra, Inc. announced today that Dr. Wayne Hancock, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has joined their Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Hancock is a world-renowned expert in immunology, inflammation, and mechanisms of disease pathologies, and his addition to the board will add strength to Progenra’s immuno-oncology drug development program. He has served as an expert consultant and collaborator and in these capacities has helped to expand Progenra’s compound pipeline. As an advisor, Dr. Hancock will guide Progenra’s immuno-oncology program and help to commercialize novel medicines targeting ubiquitin related enzymes.
“We are pleased that Wayne has joined Progenra’s Scientific Advisory Board. We are confident that the combination of Progenra’s drug discovery experience with Dr. Hancock’s vast knowledge of immunology and therapeutics will enable us to bring to market a novel treatment for cancer,” said Tauseef Butt, President and CEO of Progenra.
About The Ubiquitin Pathway The Ubiquitin pathway was discovered in the late 1970s and its pioneers were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2004. The pathway plays a vital role in the regulation of protein metabolism within the cell, as it determins the fate of proteins by either targeting them for destruction by the proteasome or preserving them from this fate. It is believed that this approach, which regulates the activity of specific target proteins, is innately more selective than other therapeutic approaches.
About Immuno-Oncology Immuno-oncology has emerged as an innovative therapeutic modality addressing cancer. The immune system’s tumor surveillance is hindered by a tumor’s ability to evade detection, and therapies aimed at reversing this immunoevasion can restore the ability of the immune system to eradicate the tumor.
About Progenra, Inc. Founded in 2002, Progenra is committed to discovering and developing high value medicines based on ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like protein pathways. Its early stage product portfolio addresses major unmet medical needs in cancer, inflammation, metabolic diseases, pathogen infection, muscle wasting, and neurodegenerative disease. Progenra is utilizing its world-class UbiPro™ Drug Discovery Platform to identify novel modulators of tractable targets in the ubiquitin proteasome pathway with the goal of developing drugs that exploit the role of ubiquitin in numerous disease states. The company’s drug discovery platform is complemented by internal biochemical, biological target validation programs and medicinal chemistry/lead optimization. For more information about Progenra, visit the company’s website at www.progenra.com.
For further information please contact:
Jeffrey Marblestone
Manager, Business Development
marblestone@progenra.com
Progenra Inc.
484-328-1722