SAN MATEO, Calif.--()--Bayhill Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging its proprietary BHT-DNA™ platform to develop novel and targeted autoimmune disease treatments, today announced that Lawrence Steinman M.D., Professor of Neurology, Pediatrics and Genetics at Stanford University and Founder, Director and Scientific Advisory Board Chairman of Bayhill Therapeutics, has been awarded an endowed chair at Stanford as the George A. Zimmerman Professor. Dr. Steinman is the inaugural holder of the chair, funded to support multiple sclerosis (MS) research. A member of Stanford’s faculty since 1980, Dr. Steinman has focused his 30-year career on translational and clinical research in MS.
“Two Faces of the Synapse - Immune versus Neural”
Bayhill also announced that Dr. Steinman will give a talk at the 52nd Nobel Conference entitled “Two Faces of the Synapse - Immune versus Neural,” at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden in May 2009. During the address, Dr. Steinman will review progress in treating MS, and provide an overview of how Bayhill Therapeutics’ BHT-3009, a targeted DNA-based vaccine therapy, compares with the efficacy and safety associated with current MS treatments like Tysabri.
Dr. Steinman co-founded Bayhill in 2001 and has served as the Company’s Scientific Advisory Board Chairman and member of the board of directors since inception. Dr. Steinman’s clinical achievements include the development of Bayhill’s BHT-DNA® antigen specific therapeutic vaccine platform, which has generated two clinical-stage DNA vaccines: BHT-3009 in MS and BHT-3021 in type 1 diabetes. Dr. Steinman has received various awards for his scientific contributions to MS research, including the John M. Dystel Prize from the American Academy of Neurology and the National MS Society. He was also a two-time recipient of a Javits Neuroscience Award from the U.S. Congress and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Mark W. Schwartz, PhD, CEO and President of Bayhill Therapeutics, commented, “Larry has been a key leader and visionary in pioneering tremendous scientific and clinical progress for Bayhill and our antigen specific therapeutics. His insights and practical experience have been instrumental in leading Bayhill’s world class scientific team in developing our clinical pipeline. The ongoing recognition of his contributions to the field of neurology supports the active presence our team in the scientific community as we seek to support our novel therapeutics with the best possible research.”
About Bayhill Therapeutics
Bayhill Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company at the forefront of developing novel and targeted treatment candidates for autoimmune diseases. Leveraging its proprietary therapeutic BHT-DNA™ platform, the Company’s product candidates have been designed to restore the immune system to its normal state, known as “tolerance,” by selectively eliminating specific, harmful immune responses while leaving the rest of the immune system intact. Through a targeted and selective approach, Bayhill’s product candidates have the potential to deliver superior efficacy, safety and tolerability relative to current therapies.
Bayhill is in active discussions with potential pharmaceutical partners for the further advancement of two BHT-DNA™-based disease modifying product candidates that have demonstrated safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy in patients: BHT-3009, a treatment candidate poised to enter a Phase IIb clinical study in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS); and BHT-3021, an investigational treatment for type 1 diabetes (T1D) currently being evaluated in an ongoing Phase I/II clinical study. For more information please visit www.bayhilltherapeutics.com/
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