‘World-leading’ brain cancer experts headline Kazia Therapeutics’ new scientific advisory board
Kazia Therapeutics’ new scientific advisory board will guide development and commercialisation of its lead drug paxalisib.
Kazia Therapeutics (ASX: KZA) has launched a new scientific advisory board (SAB) consisting of “world-leading experts” in developing therapies for brain cancer.
Sydney-based oncology-focused Kazia will lean on SAB’s guidance in progressing lead candidate paxalisib towards completion of GBM AGILE studies in the second half of CY2023, followed by commercialisation.
Kazia chief executive officer Dr James Garner said the company was “enormously honoured” to have four “highly respected brain cancer specialists” on its new advisory board.
“With paxalisib rapidly progressing towards potential commercialisation, the advice and counsel of experts in the field will be essential to our success.”
Dr Garner also thanked its outgoing members of the previous SAB.
“We are grateful to the four previous members of Kazia’s SAB: Prof Sir Murray Brennan, Dr Karen Ferrante, Prof Peter Gunning, and Dr Alex Matter,” he said.
“Their generous and thoughtful guidance has helped to make Kazia the company it is today.”
“Given that paxalisib has now reached a late state in its development, it seems appropriate to now reform the SAB in the context of the drug’s anticipated commercial market,” he added.
Leading-experts on new SAB
According to Dr Garner, the four new experts appointed to lead the company’s SAB have unique skillsets and capabilities that will offer ideal guidance for paxalisib going forward.
The new SAB comprises Dr Priscilla Brastianos, Dr John de Groot, Dr Alan Olivero and Dr Patrick Wen.
Dr Brastianos serves as the director of the Central Nervous System Metastasis Centre at Massachusetts General Hospital in the US.
Her expertise focuses on the genomic mechanisms that drive primary and metastatic brain tumours, having led studies that have uncovered novel therapeutic targets in brain tumours.
Dr John de Groot is division chief of the Neuro-Oncology Division at the University of California, San Francisco.
He is a neuro-oncologist with a plethora of expertise and knowledge within the field of glioma, angiogenesis, molecularly targeted therapy, and immunotherapy.
Dr Alan Olivero is a consultant specialising in drug discovery and development, coinventor of paxalisib, having led the early development, which was largely responsible for bringing the drug into human trials.
Dr Patrick Wen serves as professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and director of the Centre for Neuro-Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Dr Wen’s research interests include novel therapeutics for brain tumours, as well as innovative clinical trial designs, and response assessment and endpoints in clinical trials, making him an ideal fit to Kazia’s SAB.