SAN DIEGO--- Lpath Appoints John Bender, Pharm.D., as Senior Vice President of Research and Development
Lpath, Inc. (OTCBB: LPTN), the category leader in therapeutic agents against bioactive lipids, has appointed John Bender, Pharm.D., as senior vice president of research and development effective September 22, 2008. Bender succeeds William Garland, Ph.D., who will continue to serve in an advisory capacity during the transition.
"We are fortunate to have someone of John's caliber and experience to lead development of our key product candidates," said Scott Pancoast, chief executive officer of Lpath. "John's leadership and extensive clinical experience will greatly assist us as we advance ASONEP , now in Phase 1, and iSONEP , which we expect to enter Phase 1 later this year."
Most recently, Bender was senior vice-president of clinical research at Favrille, Inc., where he was responsible for the clinical development of an immunotherapeutic biologic agent for the treatment of lymphoma. Bender was previously a director of clinical research for oncology at Pfizer (formerly Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis) where he held increasingly senior clinical-research positions in oncology clinical development over a 20 year span. Prior to Pfizer, Bender spent five years at the National Cancer Institute.
Bender holds B.S. degrees in biology and pharmacy and earned his doctorate of pharmacy from the University of Utah. He has served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Michigan's College of Pharmacy and is currently a member of the Dean's Advisory Council at Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego.
About Lpath
Lpath, Inc., headquartered in San Diego, California, is the category leader in bioactive-lipid-targeted therapeutics, an emerging field of medical science whereby bioactive signaling lipids are targeted for treating important human diseases. ASONEP is an antibody against S1P that is presently in Phase 1 clinical trials for the treatment of cancer and also holds promise against multiple sclerosis and various other disorders. A second product candidate, iSONEP (the ocular formulation of the S1P antibody), has demonstrated superior results in various preclinical AMD and retinopathy models and has received FDA authorization to begin Phase 1 clinical trials. Lpath's third product candidate, Lpathomab , is an antibody against LPA, a key bioactive lipid that has been long recognized as a valid disease target (fibrosis, cancer, neuropathic pain). The company's unique ability to generate novel antibodies against bioactive lipids is based on its ImmuneY2 drug-discovery engine, which the company is leveraging to add to its pipeline. For more information, visit www.Lpath.com.