CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hydra Biosciences, a leader in the field of Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) ion channel modulation in the areas of pain, inflammation, renal disease, anxiety and pulmonary disease, today announced the formation of a Pulmonary Medical Advisory Board. Three leading experts in pulmonary medicine, Dr. William Busse, Dr. Paul O’Byrne and Dr. Sven-Erik Dahlén, were appointed to the board.
“These world-class physician scientists who comprise our pulmonary medical advisory board will play an important role in the advancement of our clinical program for HX-100 in allergic asthma,” said Russell Herndon, president and CEO of Hydra Biosciences. “We look forward to utilizing their expertise and dedication to other pulmonary diseases including additional types of asthma, cough and COPD as we consider further potential indications for HX-100 and the development of preclinical assets that target different TRP channels.”
The three members of the advisory board are leaders in allergy and immunology, asthma and pulmonology:
- William W. Busse, M.D., is professor of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin Medical School, where he has taught since 1974 and has served as head of the Allergy and Clinical Immunology Division and Chair of Medicine. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Dr. Busse has served on the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Board of Directors, the American Board of Allergy and Immunology, the Expert Panel on the Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma, which he currently chairs, and the Board of External Experts of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. He was the associate editor of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
- Paul O’Byrne, M.D., is the E. J. Moran Campbell Professor of Medicine and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University. He is also the executive director of the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health at St. Joseph’s Healthcare, a hospital in Hamilton, Ontario. He has written nearly 400 peer-reviewed papers and has edited 12 books. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Global Initiative for Asthma and is associate editor of the journals Chest, Thorax and International Archives of Allergy and Immunology.
- Sven-Erik Dahlén, M.D., Ph.D., is a professor of experimental asthma and allergy research and the director of the Centre for Allergy Research at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. He has held many positions and appointments in pulmonary medicine, including serving as the Scientific Advisor for the Swedish Public Health Institute and on multiple boards at the Karolinska Institutet. Dr. Dahlén has written nearly 250 peer-reviewed papers, 40 reviews and 10 books.
About Allergic Asthma
Allergic asthma is recurrent airflow obstruction and inflammation triggered by an allergic reaction. This reaction causes intermittent wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and cough. Allergic asthma is the most common form of asthma and affects about 300 million people worldwide. It is estimated that the number of people with asthma will grow by more than 100 million by 2025. For about 80 percent of children with asthma, allergy is the most relevant risk factor for their disease. It is estimated that asthma accounts for about one in every 250 deaths worldwide.
About HX-100
HX-100 is a highly selective, potent inhibitor of TRPA1. Pre-clinical data demonstrate promising safety and efficacy with several potential advantages over currently available treatments for chronic pain and asthma.
HX-100 is being evaluated for safety in a Phase 1 trial underway in Canada with approximately 90 healthy volunteers. The Company expects to initiate separate Phase 2 studies in painful diabetic neuropathy and allergic asthma, pending positive safety data.
About Hydra Biosciences
Hydra Biosciences is a privately held biopharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that develops drugs to treat pain, inflammation, renal disease, anxiety and pulmonary disease using its expertise in novel ion channels. Hydra Biosciences’ proprietary platforms enable the company to identify and develop drug candidates that address significant unmet medical needs. More information about Hydra Biosciences is available at: www.hydrabiosciences.com.
