Leukemia expert joins Chemgenex

ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals (ASX: CXS) announced today that leukemia expert Hagop Kantarjian, chairman of the leukemia department at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas, has joined its scientific advisory board.

Kantarjian was a key investigator in the clinical trials leading to approval of Gleevec as a treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and has been involved in the development of ChemGenex's drug Ceflatonin, currently in Phase II clinical trials.

"As the Ceflatonin enters Phase II studies as a treatment for CML, we welcome Dr Kantarjian's further participation, as a member of our SAB, as we broaden investigations of this compound to myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and other forms of leukemia," ChemGenex president Dennis Brown said.

"We also look forward to his help in identifying promising new targeted agents to move into the clinic."

Kantarjian said ceflatonin was one of the most promising new drugs in development to address the problem of Gleevec resistance in patients with CML.