AUSTIN, Texas, July 10, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aeglea BioTherapeutics, Inc., (NASDAQ:AGLE) a biotechnology company committed to developing enzyme-based therapeutics in the field of amino acid metabolism to treat rare genetic diseases and cancer, today announced that it has appointed James Wooldridge, M.D. to the position of chief medical officer.
Dr. Wooldridge joins Aeglea from Eli Lilly & Company, where he served as chief scientific officer for immuno-oncology clinical development. Since 2006, he held a number of other roles at Eli Lilly, including senior medical director for oncology, U.S. medical affairs and clinical development. Prior to his time at Eli Lilly, Dr. Wooldridge was assistant professor at the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Division of Hematology, Oncology Blood & Marrow Transplantation at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
“We are pleased that Jim has decided to join our team in this critical role. His impressive clinical background will be a welcome addition as we execute on our clinical strategy for AEB1102 and continue advancing our pipeline,” said David G. Lowe, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Aeglea. “With his expertise in drug development and translational medicine, we look forward to the insights and leadership he will bring to help advance the AEB1102 program with the ongoing Phase 1/2 trial for Arginase 1 Deficiency and the anticipated initiation of expansion arms of our oncology clinical trials. We are also grateful to Dr. Anthony Quinn for his support and leadership as our interim chief medical officer over the last several months and look forward to continuing our work with him as a member of Aeglea’s board of directors.”
“I look forward to working with the Aeglea team to unlock the potential of engineered human enzymes, with the goal of introducing new treatment options for patients with rare genetic diseases or cancer who currently have very limited therapeutic options,” said Dr. Wooldridge. “Aeglea has a dynamic pipeline and an encouraging lead product candidate in AEB1102. From the unanticipated preclinical data suggesting the prospect of combination therapy in cancer, to the Phase 1 clinical data in Arginase 1 Deficiency showing promise for helping patients with this rare disease, I believe there is great potential for Aeglea’s pipeline of product candidates.”
Dr. Wooldridge holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and philosophy from William Jewell College, received his M.D. from Tulane University and has authored numerous manuscripts, book chapters, and congress disclosures.
About Aeglea BioTherapeutics
Aeglea is a biotechnology company committed to developing enzyme-based therapeutics in the field of amino acid metabolism to treat rare genetic diseases and cancer. The company’s engineered human enzymes are designed to modulate the extremes of amino acid metabolism in the blood to reduce toxic levels of amino acids in inborn errors of metabolism or target tumor metabolism for cancer treatment. AEB1102, Aeglea’s lead product candidate, is currently being studied in two ongoing Phase 1 clinical trials in patients with advanced solid tumors and acute myeloid leukemia/myelodysplastic syndrome (AML/MDS). Additionally, Aeglea is recruiting patients into its ongoing Phase 1/2 trial of AEB1102 for the treatment of patients with Arginase 1 Deficiency. The company is building a pipeline of additional product candidates targeting key amino acids, including AEB4104, which degrades homocystine, a target for an inborn error of metabolism, as well as two potential treatments for cancer, AEB3103, which degrades cysteine, and its oxidized form cystine, and AEB2109, which degrades methionine.
For more information, please visit http://aegleabio.com.
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