HOUSTON--(Business Wire)--
Ensysce Biosciences Inc. announced today the appointment of Dr. Lynn Kirkpatrick
as President and CEO.Dr. Kirkpatrick has an extensive background in targeted
small molecule cancer drug development, and has brought three agents from bench
to bedside. Co-founder of ProlX Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Kirkpatrick was CEO from
1999 until its acquisition by Biomira Inc. in 2006. From 2006 through 2008 she
was CSO of the merged company, which changed its name to Oncothyreon Inc. in
2007.
"Dr. Kirkpatrick is a tremendous addition to our company," said Bob Gower,
Chairman of Ensysce."Lynn brings a vast array of skills that will help move
Ensysce technology rapidly forward building value in the company and moving new
technologies to the forefront of cancer treatment."
Ensysce Biosciences, a Houston, TX based nanotechnology company, is focused on
the use of carbon nanotubes for therapeutics in the area of cancer treatment.The
company has an extensive carbon nanotube-related, worldwide intellectual
property portfolio, including IP developed at Rice University by the late Nobel
Prize winner Dr Rick Smalley.
Carbon nanotubes provide a means to deliver large active molecular agents
without modification through natural barriers within the body and specifically
into cancer cells. "This use of carbon nanotubes has been demonstrated in animal
studies by our group of collaborators,"said Dr. Kirkpatrick."We have been able
to form stable complexes with numerous active entities including short
interfering RNA (siRNA) and we believe our current research efforts to tailor
their transport and release will ensure a therapeutic benefit as well as
eliminating off target effects.Beside delivery, we are exploring other
applications of carbon nanotubes to enhance cancer therapies and believe we will
enter clinical trials in the next 12 to 18 months."
Ensysce currently has research collaborations with leaders in both the carbon
nanotube technology field as well as cancer drug development at M. D. Anderson
Cancer Center, Stanford University and Rice University. "siRNA, the most
intriguing recent development for cancer treatment has issues with adequate
cellular delivery," said Dr. Garth Powis."Our efforts to use carbon nanotubes to
deliver these macromolecules have demonstrated that we can readily transport
siRNA into cancer cells with subsequent biological activity.Those are important
steps."
Collaborations with Dr. Hongie Dai from Stanford University have also shown that
carbon nanotubes can be used to deliver established cancer drugs resulting in
tumor regression in animal studies.The complexes provided a significant
therapeutic benefit for agents such as taxol and doxorubicin, demonstrating
excellent proof of principle of this exciting novel technology.
About Ensysce Biosciences:
Ensysce Biosciences a privately held nanotechnology company in Houston, TX
founded in 2008, is focused on the use of fullerene carbon nanotubes for
therapeutic applications specifically in cancer.
Ensysce Biosciences Inc., Houston
Dr. Bob Gower, 713-932-6867
bgower@ensysce.com
or
Dr. Lynn Kirkpatrick, 713-864-7512
lkirkpatrick@ensysce.com
Copyright Business Wire 2009
