COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sermonix Pharmaceuticals Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics to specifically treat metastatic breast cancers (mBC) harboring ESR1 mutations, today announced it will host a virtual KOL fireside chat on Monday, April 22, 2024 from noon to 1 p.m. ET, featuring Senthil Damodaran, M.D., Ph.D. (MD Anderson Cancer Center) and Seth Wander, M.D., Ph.D. (Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital) to discuss the unmet need and current treatment landscape for metastatic breast cancer. To register, click here.
The event will focus on the company's ELAINE (Evaluating Lasofoxifene in ESR1 Mutations) studies investigating lasofoxifene in patients with locally advanced or metastatic estrogen receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor 2-negative (ER+/HER2-) breast cancer expressing an estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) mutation.
With Phase 2 ELAINE-1 and ELAINE-2 studies both completed and having demonstrated compelling anti-tumor activity against tumors with increasingly prevalent ESR1 mutations, enrollment is currently open for ELAINE-3, a large, randomized, Phase 3 study with clinical trial sites across the United States, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Israel, and Canada.
A live question and answer session will follow the formal presentations.
About Senthil Damodaran, M.D., Ph.D.
Senthil Damodaran, M.D., Ph.D. is an associate professor in breast medical oncology with a joint appointment in Investigational Cancer Therapeutics at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. His research focuses on 1) biomarker-driven clinical trials, 2) application of omics for target discovery in breast cancers, and 3) characterization of secondary drug resistance mechanisms. At MD Anderson, he leads the department’s biomarker-directed clinical and translational efforts and serves as the lead for multiple biomarker-enriched clinical studies including CTEP and ETCTN trials. Dr. Damodaran also serves on the American Society of Clinical Oncology and American Board of Internal Medicine expert panels.
About Seth Wander, M.D., Ph.D.
Seth Wander, M.D., Ph.D. is a medical oncologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital with a clinical and translational research interest in breast cancer and cancer genomics. Dr. Wander completed his undergraduate degree at Cornell University, where he studied Molecular and Cell Biology and graduated magna cum laude with distinction in research. He pursued his M.D. and Ph.D. in Cancer Biology at the University of Miami. Dr. Wander completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital and his fellowship training in medical oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center.
Dr. Wander is active in both the clinic and laboratory, where his research interests involve genomic mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies in metastatic breast cancer. Dr. Wander has published more than forty peer-reviewed manuscripts focused on the emerging field of precision medicine and related topics in oncology. His research is focused on leveraging genetic and molecular sequencing results to understand how cancers become resistant to standard therapies in order to develop novel, personalized treatment strategies. He is an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and remains engaged in teaching medical students, residents, and fellows. He was a recipient of the 2017 Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Wong Family Translational Research Award and a 2018 recipient of the Conquer Cancer Foundation/American Society of Clinical Oncology Young Investigator Award. Dr. Wander, as part of a multidisciplinary team, leads a variety of clinical trials focused on developing novel clinical strategies for patients with metastatic breast cancer and resistance to standard hormonal and targeted agents. He has presented educational sessions and original research both nationally and internationally related to drug resistance and the development of personalized treatment strategies for breast cancer.
About Sermonix
Sermonix Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of female-specific oncology products and is currently undertaking two Phase 2 clinical studies of lasofoxifene, its lead investigational drug. The Sermonix management team, led by founder Dr. David Portman, has significant experience in all stages of the drug development, regulatory and commercialization processes. Paul Plourde, M.D., vice president of oncology clinical development, has many decades of experience at AstraZeneca in the breast cancer drug development arena. Barry Komm, Ph.D., chief scientific officer, is recognized for his expertise in nuclear receptor biology. Miriam Portman, M.D., is co-founder and chief operating officer, with expertise in clinical trial conduct and patient recruitment. Elizabeth Attias, M.M.Sc., Sc.D., chief strategy and development officer, has extensive experience in pharmaceutical drug commercialization. Simon Jenkins, Ph.D., vice president of operations, has over 30 years of experience in global drug development leadership. Sermonix non-executive chairman of the board is Anthony Wild, Ph.D., former president of both Parke-Davis Pharmaceuticals and Warner-Lambert’s Pharmaceutical Division. Learn more at SermonixPharma.com.
Sermonix Contact:
Elizabeth Attias, Sc.D.
Chief Strategy and Development Officer
EAttias@sermonixpharma.com
(973) 723-7832
