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RegeneRx Adds Two Members to Medical and Scientific Advisory Board RegeneRx Adds Two Members to Medical and Scientific Advisory Board April 20, 2004 — Bethesda, Md RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCBB:RGRX) (www.regenerx.com) announced the addition of Jo-David Fine, M.D., M.P.H. and Claudio De Simone, Ph.D. to its Medical and Scientific Advisory Board (MSAB). RegeneRx's Medical and Scientific Advisory Board consists of experts in various medical and scientific fields who advise the Company on key aspects of its wound-healing technology platform, which is based on Thymosin beta 4 (Tß4). They advise the Company in such areas as potential therapeutic uses for Tß4, strategies for clinical development, and evaluation of new scientific or medical data. The MASB is headed by Dr. Allan Goldstein, RegeneRx's Chairman and Chief Scientific Advisor. Dr. Fine is a dermatologist and expert on Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a genetic defect in which patients constantly develop blistering of the skin and other organs that are difficult to heal and often become chronic wounds. EB is one of several dermal conditions for which the Company is developing Tß4. Dr. De Simone is an Associate Professor in the Department of Experimental Medicine at the University of L'Aquila in Rome, Italy and an expert in infectious and immunological-related diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. "Dr. Fine's expertise and stature in the field of dermatology, including EB, will undoubtedly help us in the future, as has been the case since we met several years ago," said J.J. Finkelstein, RegeneRx's President and CEO. "Dr. De Simone's expertise in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, many of which result in chronic inflammation and wound-like pathology, will help us evaluate new areas where Tß4 may be a useful therapy. We now have seven members of our MSAB and expect to add one or two more members in the near future," Mr. Finkelstein added. Dr. Fine is Professor of Medicine (Dermatology) at the University of Kentucky School of Medicine in Lexington and is also in private practice. He was previously Professor of Medicine in the Department of Dermatology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health. He heads the National Epidermolysis Bullosa Registry and is a member of the Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association (DebRA) in the U.S. and the U.K. He also is a member of the Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation in Salt Lake City; and on the Advisory Committee of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Skin Diseases (NIAMS) National Alopecia Areata Registry. Dr. Fine has authored more than 300 scientific and medical articles, book chapters and abstracts. From 1982-1996 he was the first author most cited in dermatological literature according to the editors of the Archives of Dermatology. Dr. Fine received his B.S. from Yale, his M.D. from the University of Kentucky School of Medicine, and his M.P.H. in epidemiology from the North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health. Prof. De Simone is an Associate Professor in the Department of Experimental Medicine at the University of L'Aquila, Rome, Italy, where he specializes in internal medicine with additional expertise in tropical and infectious diseases, and diseases of the digestive tract. He is a former Director for the Regional Reference Center for the fight against AIDS of the Abruzzo region of Italy. In addition, he has authored more than 150 published scientific articles, reviews, case reports and book chapters in his specialties. Prof. De Simone received a degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Rome's Clinic for Tropical and Infectious Diseases. Tß4 is a naturally occurring 43-amino acid peptide present in virtually all human cells. It represents a new class of wound healing drug and is different from other wound repair factors, such as growth factors, in that it promotes endothelial cell differentiation and keratinocyte cell migration, down-regulates a number of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and has a very low molecular weight, allowing it to diffuse relatively long distances through tissues. A key mechanism of action is Tß4's ability to regulate the cell-building protein, actin, a vital component of the cytoskeleton. Additionally, it has recently been reported that Tß4 directly influences the production of laminin-5, a protein necessary for proper adhesion of certain types of mammalian cells and an important component of the wound healing process. Tß4 has been the subject of a significant amount of research at the NIH and a number of other academic institutions, and has been reported to be effective in the repair of dermal and corneal wounds in numerous animal models under a variety of conditions. RegeneRx is a biopharmaceutical company developing Tß4 as a platform technology for the treatment of acute and chronic wounds and for the treatment of a variety of human diseases involving tissue and organ repair under an exclusive world-wide license from the NIH. The Company holds several patents related to the technology and has numerous world-wide patent applications pending. RegeneRx successfully completed Phase I human clinical trials with Tß4 for the treatment of chronic dermal wounds and expects Phase II trials to begin in the second quarter of 2004. The information in this press release may include certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements concern the Company's current expectations regarding future events, including the ongoing and prospective development of Tß4 and possible future benefits to the Company, its shareholders, and patients. Due to the nature of product development and the regulatory approval process, the forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including those reflected in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-KSB. The Company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements made herein or any other forward-looking statements made by the Company. |
