WESTBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation (OTCBB: RXII.OB) today announced the appointment of Dr. Jeannette Graf and Dr. Leroy Young to its Scientific Advisory Board. The addition of these two highly esteemed clinicians provides RXi with invaluable experience and clinical research expertise that are key to the ongoing development of RXI-109. RXI-109 is a self-delivering RNAi compound (sd-rxRNA®) developed by RXi for the reduction of dermal scarring in planned surgeries. RXI-109 entered into a Phase 1 clinical study in June 2012.
Dr. Jeannette Graf is a board certified, clinical and research dermatologist with a private practice in Great Neck, NY. She is Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, where last year she received the “Teacher of the Year” award from the Department of Dermatology. In addition to her private practice and her academic activities, Dr. Graf is also an accomplished product developer, who has created her own skin care line based on her continuing research on natural active ingredients and deep scientific understanding of the aging processes that take place in the skin. She has also contributed to many publications as well as books on this subject, including her best seller Stop Aging, Start Living. In addition, Dr. Graf has made multiple television and news appearances on national news and cable programs including: The Dr. Oz Show, Fox And Friends, MSNBC, The View, Inside Edition, Focus On Women, CBS Early Show, Good Morning America, Mike and Juliet and Sirius Radio. One of the most widely quoted dermatologists in the country, Dr. Graf is frequently quoted in national print and online magazines and newspapers including: Allure, Self, Glamour, InStyle, Prevention, Health, Women’s Health, Redbook, Ladies’ Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, O the Oprah Magazine, Essence, Cosmopolitan, Family Circle and The New York Times.
Dr. Graf did a residency in pediatrics at Schneider’s Children’s Hospital in New York, followed by 2 years as a Research Fellow at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda where she received an award for Outstanding Achievement and obtained a patent on peptides in 1987, and by a residency in dermatology at the New York University Medical Center, which she completed in 1990.
Dr. Leroy Young is the Director of the BodyAesthetic Research Center in St. Louis, Missouri. He is Board certified in General Surgery and Plastic Surgery, and has held multiple academic positions in the fields of surgery and plastic surgery at the Washington School of Medicine in St. Louis Missouri, where today he still consults for the Breast Implant Research Group of the University. In 2004, he was the sole recipient of a special Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation Award, given for the results of research projects that “have a profound and monumental effect upon the specialty of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the quality of service provided to our patients.” Dr. Young is the author of numerous patents and publications. His clinical research activity has included trials with Botulinum Toxin Type A, Sodium and Deoxycholate injections, as well as with the antisense oligonucleotide EXC-001 for the treatment of scars and Avotermin (Juvista) for scar management.
Dr. Young did his residency in general surgery at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, and his residency in plastic surgery at the Barnes Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Missouri, where he graduated in 1979.
“Dr. Graf and Dr. Young are notable additions to our Scientific Advisory Board,” said Dr. Geert Cauwenbergh, President and CEO of RXi Pharmaceuticals. He added that “Together Dr. Young and Dr. Graf bring a wide spectrum of scientific and clinical experience to the development effort that RXi has underway with RXI-109, the first self-delivering RNAi to enter into clinical development. In addition, they also bring a unique understanding of the cosmetic surgery and dermatology space, with in-depth knowledge of the need gaps that still exist today in the management of scarring.”
About RXI-109
RXi Pharmaceuticals first clinical program centers around RXI-109, a self-delivering RNAi compound (sd-rxRNA®) developed by RXi for the reduction of dermal scarring in planned surgeries. RXI-109 is designed to reduce the expression of CTGF (connective tissue growth factor), a critical regulator of several biological pathways involved in fibrosis, including scar formation in the skin. The first clinical trial of RXI-109, initiated in June 2012, will evaluate the safety and tolerability of several dose levels of RXI-109 in humans and may provide preliminary evidence of surgical scar reduction. As there are currently no FDA-approved drugs to prevent scar formation, a therapeutic of this type could have great benefit for trauma and surgical patients (especially relating to raised or hypertrophic scarring), as a treatment during the surgical revision of existing unsatisfactory scars, and in the treatment, removal and inhibition of keloids (scars which extend beyond the original skin injury).
About Self-delivering rxRNA® (or sd-rxRNA)
RXi's sd-rxRNA compounds are designed for therapeutic use and have drug-like properties, such as high potency, target specificity, serum stability, reduced immune response activation, and efficient cellular uptake. They are hybrid oligonucleotide molecules that combine the beneficial properties of both conventional RNAi and antisense technologies. The sd-rxRNAs have a single-stranded phosphorothioate region, a short duplex region, and contain a variety of nuclease-stabilizing and lipophilic chemical modifications. The combination of these features has been shown in vitro and in animal tissues, to allow sd-rxRNAs to achieve efficient spontaneous cellular uptake and potent, long-lasting intracellular activity.
About RXi Pharmaceuticals
RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation (OTCBB: RXII.OB) is a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing innovative therapies based on its proprietary, next-generation RNAi platform. Therapeutics that use RNA interference, or “RNAi,” have great promise because of their ability to “silence,” or down-regulate, the expression of a specific gene that may be overexpressed in a disease condition. Building on the pioneering work of scientific founder and Nobel Laureate Dr. Craig Mello, RXi’s first RNAi product candidate, RXI-109, which targets CTGF (connective tissue growth factor), entered into a human clinical trial in June 2012 to evaluate its safety, tolerability and potential efficacy for scar prevention. For more information, please visit www.rxipharma.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future expectations, plan and future development of RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation’s products and technologies. These forward-looking statements about future expectations, plans and prospects of the development of RXi’s products and technologies involve significant risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including the risk that RXi may not be able to successfully develop its candidates, the risk that the development of our RNAi-based therapeutics may be delayed or may not proceed as planned and we may not be able to complete development of any RNAi-based product, the risk that the development process for our product candidates may be delayed, risks related to development and commercialization of products by our competitors, risks related to our ability to control the timing and terms of collaborations with third parties and the possibility that other companies or organizations may assert patent rights that prevent us from developing our products. Actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements. RXi does not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect a change in its views or events or circumstances that occur after the date of this release.