SAN JOSE, Calif., June 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Aridis
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARDS), a biopharmaceutical
company focused on the discovery and development of targeted
immunotherapies using fully human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to
treat life-threatening bacterial infections, announced today the
appointment of Susan
Windham-Bannister, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors. Dr.
Windham-Bannister is an internationally recognized expert in
advising biopharma companies on market access, growth optimization
and portfolio management strategies.
"On behalf of the management and Board, I am delighted to
welcome Dr. Windham-Bannister to the leadership team," commented
Eric Patzer, Ph.D., Founder and
Chairman of the Board of Aridis Pharmaceuticals. "As an emerging
company with a multi-asset late stage pipeline representing
innovative treatments for lung infections, we look forward to
having access to the full breadth of her expertise particularly in
healthcare policy, drug reimbursement, and commercial strategy as
we prepare for multiple data readouts over the course of 2019 and
into the first quarter of next year."
Dr. Windham-Bannister currently serves as President and CEO of
Biomedical Growth Strategies., LLC and Managing Partner of
Biomedical Innovation Advisors, LLC, a strategic advisory firm
serving the healthcare industry which she founded with Dr.
Harvey Lodish, co-founder of
Genzyme. From 2008-2015, Dr. Windham-Bannister served as founding
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Life
Sciences Initiative, the brainchild of former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick where she led this $1billion healthcare dedicated investment fund.
Dr. Windham-Bannister is currently the Chair of the National Board
of Directors of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) and
also serves on the Boards of St. Jude's Children's Hospital and
Tufts Health Plan. She received a Doctorate in Health Policy
and Management from the Florence Heller School at Brandeis University, and a Doctor of Science from
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
(honoris causa). Dr. Windham-Bannister was a Post-Doctoral
Fellow at Harvard University's
John F. Kennedy School and a Fellow
in the Center for Science and Policy (CSAP) at Cambridge University, Cambridge, England. She completed her doctoral
work at the Heller School under a fellowship from the Ford
Foundation.
"I am delighted to join Aridis as it's exciting to be part of a
truly innovative anti-infective company developing novel
alternatives to antibiotics, particularly in the current era of
increasing antibiotic resistance," commented Dr. Windham-Bannister.
"I look forward to working closely with the management team and
Board to help the Company progress its portfolio of programs as
they inch closer to product approvals and commercial launches."
About Aridis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Aridis
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. discovers and develops anti-infectives to be
used as add-on treatments to standard-of-care antibiotics. The
Company is utilizing its proprietary MabIgX® technology platform to
rapidly identify rare, potent antibody-producing B-cells from
patients who have successfully overcome an infection to produce
mAbs. These mAbs are already of human origin and functionally
optimized for high potency by the donor's immune system, hence they
do not require genetic engineering or further optimization to
achieve full functionality and high mAb productivity. MabIgX® also
allows for the selection of any antibody isotype depending on the
optimal effector function required for treating the target
infection. By bypassing the humanization and binding sequence
optimization steps, and the entire process of generation of
genetically engineered antibody producing cell lines, MabIgX®
enables high gross-margins and expedited progression to clinical
development.
The Company has generated multiple clinical stage mAbs targeting
bacteria that cause life-threatening infections such as ventilator
associated pneumonia (VAP) and hospital acquired pneumonia
(HAP). The use of mAbs as anti-infective treatments represents an
innovative therapeutic approach that harnesses the human immune
system to fight infections and is designed to overcome the
deficiencies associated with broad spectrum antibiotics, which is
the current standard of care. Such deficiencies include, but are
not limited to, increasing drug resistance, short duration of
efficacy, disruption of the normal flora of the human microbiome,
and lack of differentiation among current treatments. The mAb
portfolio is complemented by a non-antibiotic novel mechanism small
molecule anti-infective candidate being developed to treat lung
infections in cystic fibrosis patients. The company's pipeline is
highlighted below:
Aridis' Pipeline
AR-301 (ventilator
associated pneumonia). AR-301 is a fully human immunoglobulin
1, or IgG1, mAb currently in Phase 3 clinical development targeting
gram-positive S. aureus alpha-toxin in
ventilator-associated pneumonia, or VAP, patients.
AR-105 (ventilator associated
pneumonia). AR-105 is a fully human IgG1 mAb targeting
gram-negative P. aeruginosa alginate in
VAP patients. AR-105 is currently being evaluated in a global
Phase 2 clinical study.
AR-101 (hospital acquired pneumonia). AR-101 is
a fully human immunoglobulin M, or IgM, mAb targeting P.
aeruginosa liposaccharide serotype O11, which accounts for
approximately 22% of all P. aeruginosa hospital
acquired pneumonia cases worldwide. A plan for the next clinical
study will be communicated following the availability of Phase 2
clinical data for AR-105.
AR-501 (cystic fibrosis). AR-501 is an inhaled
formulation of gallium citrate with broad-spectrum anti-infective
activity being developed to treat chronic lung infections in cystic
fibrosis patients. This program is currently in a Phase 1/2a
clinical study in healthy volunteers and CF patients.
AR-401 (blood stream infections). AR-401 is a
fully human mAb currently in preclinical development aimed at
treating infections caused by gram-negative Acinetobacter
baumannii.
AR-201 (RSV infection). AR-201 is a fully human IgG1
mAb currently in preclinical development aimed at neutralizing
diverse clinical isolates of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
For additional information on Aridis Pharmaceuticals, please
visit https://aridispharma.com/.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this
press release are forward-looking statements that involve a number
of risks and uncertainties. These statements may be
identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "believe,"
"forecast," "estimated" and "intend" or other similar terms or
expressions that concern Aridis' expectations, strategy, plans or
intentions. These forward-looking statements are based on Aridis'
current expectations and actual results could differ materially.
There are a number of factors that could cause actual events
to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking
statements. These factors include, but are not limited to,
the timing of regulatory submissions, Aridis' ability to obtain and
maintain regulatory approval of its existing product candidates and
any other product candidates it may develop, approvals for clinical
trials may be delayed or withheld by regulatory agencies, risks
relating to the timing and costs of clinical trials, risks
associated with obtaining funding from third parties, management
and employee operations and execution risks, loss of key personnel,
competition, risks related to market acceptance of products,
intellectual property risks, risks associated with the uncertainty
of future financial results, Aridis' ability to attract
collaborators and partners and risks associated with Aridis'
reliance on third party organizations. While the list of
factors presented here is considered representative, no such list
should be considered to be a complete statement of all potential
risks and uncertainties. Unlisted factors may present significant
additional obstacles to the realization of forward-looking
statements. Actual results could differ materially from those
described or implied by such forward-looking statements as a result
of various important factors, including, without limitation, market
conditions and the factors described under the caption "Risk
Factors" in Aridis' 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and Aridis' other filings
made with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Forward-looking statements included herein are
made as of the date hereof, and Aridis does not undertake any
obligation to update publicly such statements to reflect subsequent
events or circumstances.
Contact:
Investor Relations
Jason Wong
Blueprint Life Science Group
jwong@bplifescience.com
(415) 375-3340 Ext. 4
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SOURCE Aridis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.