Press Releases

09 April 2013
Karus Therapeutics appoints Scientific Advisory Board and announces move to new Oxford facilities

Oxford, UK, 9 April 2013 – Karus Therapeutics, a leader in the development of innovative medicines for the treatment of inflammatory disease and cancer, today announced the appointment of its scientific advisory board (SAB), which brings together world-leading expertise in target biology and drug research and development. The appointment of Karus’s SAB reflects the Company’s recent expansion and move to fully-integrated research and office facilities near Oxford.

Last month, Karus relocated all its operations to new headquarters at Milton Park, Oxfordshire. The move provides the Company with over 400 sqm of chemistry and biology laboratories, integrated with a corporate headquarters in a world leading biotechnology cluster.

The newly appointed SAB will support the Company’s continued R&D progress and comprises leading R&D professionals from academia and the pharma industry. The SAB will operate under the direction of Karus’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Stephen Shuttleworth and members include:

• Dr James Bristol is a life-science adviser with 32 years senior R&D experience at major pharma companies, including SVP Worldwide Drug Discovery Research at Pfizer and senior R&D positions at Parke-Davis and Schering-Plough;
• Dr Fritz Frickel is an advisor to life-science companies. He was formerly SVP R&D and acting CEO of Alantos (acquired by Amgen), SVP Research at Abbott, Worldwide Head of Research at BASF and Head of Clinical, Pharmaceutical and Regulatory Development at Knoll;
• Dr Chris Reilly is a healthcare consultant who advises companies from discovery to early development.  He was previously Global VP Discovery Strategy and Performance and Head of Project Evaluation at AstraZeneca;
• Dr Phill Hawkins and Dr Len Stephens (Babraham Institute, Cambridge) are key opinion leaders in the area of PI3K biology, notably in the context of neutrophil function;
• Professor Bart Vanhaesebroeck (Queen Mary, University of London) leads the Centre for Cell Signalling at Barts Cancer Institute. He is a recognized opinion leader in the biology of PI3 kinases;
• Professor Jeff Evans (Beatson Institute, Glasgow) is a Professor of Translational Cancer Research and brings oncology drug discovery and development experience with clinical expertise in HDAC inhibitors; and,
• Dr Richard Groves (Guy's Hospital, London) is a consultant dermatologist with an active research programme investigating the causes and treatments for inflammatory skin diseases.

Commenting on the formation of the SAB, Dr Simon Kerry, Chief Executive of Karus, said: “We are very pleased to have attracted such a strong team to our scientific advisory board: they bring breadth and depth of knowledge to Karus, and we look forward to benefitting from their insight and guidance throughout our R&D programmes.

“Our new location in Oxfordshire is essential for Karus to grow: with a high quality team, our network of key opinion leaders and a supportive investor base, we are well positioned to advance our proprietary PI3K and HDAC6 inhibitor programmes into the clinic” he said.