Virax appoints oncology guru to scientific board

Virax Holdings (ASX:VHL) has appointed US oncology expert Dr Joseph Sparano to its Scientific Advisory Board.

Sparano is currently professor of medicine and women’s health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and the associate chairman for clinical research in the Department of Oncology at the Montefiore Medical Center.

In his new role, he will lead phase Ib/II clinical trials of Virax’s cancer treatment candidate GGTI-2418 in breast cancer. The trials are expected to commence in the first quarter of next year.

Virax acquired an exclusive worldwide licence to the immunotherapeutic candidate along with the purchase of Pathway Oncology in June. The product is based on research from Yale University and the Lee Moffitt Cancer Center.

Virax managing director Dr Rob Crombie said the appointment will be key to the clinical program for GGTI-2418.

“We are aggressively pursuing development of this extremely promising asset and Dr Sparano’s appointment is pivotal to this process,” he said.

“He has both an exemplary scientific and medical background in the oncology arena and is internationally regarded for his research on developing novel therapeutic approaches for breast cancer, lymphoma and HIV-associated cancers.”

In early stage trials, GGTI-2418 has demonstrated potential as a monotherapy or adjunct treatment for breast cancer.

Virax Holdings (ASX:VHL) shares were trading unchanged at $0.007 as of around 1 pm on Monday.