VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rakovina Therapeutics Inc. (TSX-V: RKV) (“the Company”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel DNA-damage response (DDR) inhibitors to address high unmet medical needs in the treatment of cancer, today announced the appointment of Prof. Petra Hamerlik, Chair of Translational Neuro-Oncology at the University of Manchester and former CNS Cancer Bioscience Lead at AstraZeneca plc, to its Scientific Advisory Board (“SAB”).

“We are extremely pleased to add Prof. Hamerlik to our SAB as a researcher with a deep understanding of the DNA-damage response field,” stated Jeffrey Bacha Rakovina Therapeutics’ executive chairman. “As we continue to focus our efforts squarely on the advancement of our lead kt-3000 program toward human clinical trials, Prof. Hamerlik’s experience in the development of leading drugs in the DNA-damage response field will offer significant insights and guidance toward our ultimate success in delivering new therapies to improve the lives of patients suffering from cancer.”

In June 2023, Rakovina Therapeutics researchers published a manuscript in the Journal of Clinical Cancer Research reporting the characterization of a kt-3000 lead candidate with dual activity against PARP and HDAC enzymes as a potential treatment for Ewing sarcoma and other treatment-resistant cancers.

“Rakovina Therapeutics has been working on cutting-edge DNA-damage response inhibitors since its inception,” said Prof. Hamerlik. “I am excited to join the Rakovina Therapeutics’ Scientific Advisory Board and bring both my academic and industrial experience to the Company at this important time in its development. I look forward to contributing to Rakovina Therapeutics’ success.”

Prof. Hamerlik joins existing Scientific Advisory Board members, including Dr. Dennis Brown PhD, Dr. Leonard Post PhD, Dr. Neil Sankar MD and Dr. Wang Shen PhD, each of whom bring decades of drug discovery and development experience to their advisory roles.

“We are delighted to have Prof. Hamerlik join our esteemed Scientific Advisory Board,” stated Prof. Mads Daugaard, President, and Chief Scientific Officer of Rakovina Therapeutics. “Her extensive experience and expertise in PARP and DNA-damage response inhibitors are valuable additions to our team. This expertise is particularly complementary to Dr. Post’s accomplishments in the successful development and commercialization of Pfizer’s Talzenna® (talazoparib), one of the four FDA-approved PARP-inhibitors.”

About Petra Hamerlik, PhD

Prof. Petra Hamerlik, PhD currently serves as Chair of Translational Neuro-Oncology at the University of Manchester where she has established a research team that is focused on investigating the biology of malignant brain tumors and developing innovative approaches for their early detection. She previously held a joint appointment as a Principal Scientist and CNS cancer Bioscience Lead at AstraZeneca where she contributed to the development of brain-penetrant DNA repair inhibitors for targeting primary brain tumours and brain metastases. Prior to her role at AstraZeneca, Professor Hamerlik was Group Leader for the Brain Tumour Biology laboratory within the Danish Cancer Research Centre and Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen. During this time, she led research focused on improving the understanding of DNA damage response and demonstrating the potential of enhanced efficacy of combining PARP and HDAC inhibition in the treatment of cancer.

About Rakovina Therapeutics Inc.

Rakovina Therapeutics Inc. is focused on the development of new cancer treatments based on novel DNA-damage response (DDR) technologies. The Company has established a pipeline of novel DNA-damage response inhibitors with the goal of advancing one or more drug candidates into human clinical trials and obtaining marketing approval for new cancer therapeutics from Health Canada, the United States Food and Drug Administration and similar international regulatory agencies. Further information may be found at www.rakovinatherapeutics.com.

Additional Information

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