TUSTIN, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/15/13 -- Peregrine Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: PPHM) today announced that participants at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's (IASLC) 15th World Conference on Lung Cancer to be held October 27 - 30, 2013 in Sydney, Australia will discuss novel immunotherapy checkpoint inhibitors including Peregrine's novel target phosphatidylserine (PS). The conference is the world's largest meeting dedicated to lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies and brings together more than 5,000 delegates from across the medical and scientific professional spectrums from more than 100 countries.
The symposium titled: "Immune Checkpoints in the Tumor Environment: Novel Targets and the Clinical Promise of Combined Immunotherapies" will focus on the identification of new immunosuppressive targets in tumors and the potential for improved clinical outcomes through multiple immune checkpoint blockade. The event will take place in Parkside Ballroom B, Conference Level 1 of the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre on Monday, October 28th from 7:00-8:00 AM AET. The program for the symposium is as follows:
Moderator:
Scott J. Antonia, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Oncology and the Co-Program Leader of the Immunology Program at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida
Presentations:
Dmitry I. Gabrilovich, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor in Cancer Research and Program Leader, Translational Tumor Immunology at The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
"Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells as Negative Regulator of Immune Responses in Cancer"
Rolf A. Brekken, Ph.D.
Effie Marie Cain Research Scholar in Angiogenesis Research and an Associate Professor, in the Departments of Surgery and Pharmacology at the Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology, University of Texas Southwest Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
"Engagement of Phosphatidylserine (PS) by PS-Targeting Antibodies Blocks a Global Immunosuppressive Checkpoint in the Tumor Microenvironment Inducing Multiple Downstream Anti-Tumor Response Mechanisms"
David E. Gerber, M.D.
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine in the Hematology-Oncology Division at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
"Clinical Experience and Prospects with Checkpoint Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer"
Peregrine will also be hosting convention visitors at Exhibit Booth #702.
"This conference brings together thought leaders from all over the world and in particular this symposium will bring together a set of key opinion leaders to focus on the current understanding of tumor immune checkpoints and the therapeutic potential of combining upstream and downstream immune checkpoint blockers. We are pleased that part of this discussion will focus on the recent data validating bavituximab's PS as global immunosuppressive checkpoint," said Kerstin Menander, M.D., Ph.D., head of medical oncology at Peregrine Pharmaceuticals. "Drs. Gabrilovich and Antonia are recognized leaders in the immunotherapy community and we are particularly pleased that they agreed to participate in the symposium. Their insights into new approaches for immunotherapy combination therapy studies will be extremely valuable as we continue to advance our bavituximab program toward its first such clinical trials."
About the Presenters
Scott J. Antonia, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Antonia is currently the Department Chair and Program Leader of the Thoracic Oncology Department Associate Professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Oncology and Program Leader of the Immunology Program at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida. He is also a Professor of Oncology at the University of South Florida College of Medicine in Tampa. Prior to being named chair of Thoracic Oncology in 2010, he was associate chairman of the Sarcoma Department. He joined the Moffitt Cancer Center in 1994. Dr. Antonia received his M.D. and his Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, Connecticut. In addition, he completed an internal medicine residency at Yale University School of Medicine and pursued additional training at Yale through a medical oncology fellowship and post-doctoral fellowship in Immunobiology. Dr. Antonia's work focuses on translational research. Using his molecular biology and cellular background in the development of immunotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of cancer patients, he has developed strategies designed to thwart the immunosuppressive mechanisms used by tumors to evade T-cell mediated rejection. Dr. Antonia has published papers in several peer-reviewed journals, including Science, Clinical Cancer Research, Current Opinions in Oncology, and Cancer Research.
Dmitry I. Gabrilovich, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Gabrilovich is currently the Christopher M. Davis Professor in Cancer Research and Program Leader, Translational Tumor Immunology at The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Wistar Institute is the nation's first independent institution devoted to medical research and training and has been designated a National Cancer Institute Cancer Center in basic research. Dr. Gabrilovich's lab is focused on understanding the mechanisms of tumor-associated immunosuppression as well as on the development of new effective cancer immunotherapeutics. Prior to joining Wistar, Dr. Gabrilovich was the Robert Rothman Endowed Chair in Cancer Research and Head, Section of Dendritic Cell Biology at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in the Department of Immunology and a Professor of Oncologic Sciences and Molecular Medicine at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. Prior to this, Dr. Gabrilovich was a Research Fellow at the Imperial College in London, United Kingdom and at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Gabrilovich earned his M.D. from Kabardino-Balkarian State University Medical School in Nalchik, Russia and his Ph.D. in Immunology from the Central Institute of Epidemiology in Moscow. He has over 25 years of experience, extensive knowledge in this field and has more than 180 peer-reviewed publications.
Rolf A. Brekken, Ph.D.
Dr. Brekken is the Effie Marie Cain Research Scholar in Angiogenesis Research and an Associate Professor, in the Departments of Surgery and Pharmacology, a Principal Investigator in the Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, and a member of Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwest Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Brekken received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa and his PhD (Cell and Molecular Biology) from UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. He completed his postdoctoral training in the Department of Vascular Biology at the Hope Heart Institute in Seattle, Washington where he studied how the extracellular matrix contributes to vascular function in and growth of tumors. He is an author on over 100 peer reviewed scientific papers and is a senior editor of Cancer Research. Research in the Brekken laboratory is funded by the NCI, the American Cancer Society, the Mary Kay Foundation and CPRIT as well as several biopharmaceutical companies.
David E. Gerber, M.D.
Dr. Gerber is currently an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine in the Hematology-Oncology Division at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas where he joined the faculty in 2007. Dr. Gerber earned his M.D. from Cornell University Medical College in New York, New York, and completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. He completed his fellowship in medical oncology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Gerber is board certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology. Dr. Gerber is particularly interested in lung cancer and is highly active in related research. His research has generated over 40 peer-reviewed publications. He has authored two books and 12 book chapters on this topic and his studies have contributed to invitations to lecture both nationally and internationally.
This symposium will not be webcast.
About Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company with a portfolio of innovative monoclonal antibodies in clinical trials focused on the treatment and diagnosis of cancer. The company is pursuing multiple clinical programs in cancer with its lead immunotherapy candidate bavituximab and novel brain cancer agent Cotara®. Peregrine also has in-house cGMP manufacturing capabilities through its wholly-owned subsidiary Avid Bioservices, Inc. (www.avidbio.com), which provides development and biomanufacturing services for both Peregrine and third-party customers. Additional information about Peregrine can be found at www.peregrineinc.com.
Contact:
Christopher Keenan or Jay Carlson
Peregrine Pharmaceuticals
(800) 987-8256
info@peregrineinc.com
Source: Peregrine Pharmaceuticals
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