MarsalA BioTECH
Cancer drug discovery and development
MarsalA BioTECH
Cancer drug discovery and development
Overview
Marsala Biotech Inc. is a Winnipeg, Canada, based new drug discovery and development company, concentrating on new treatments for cancer. The Company's lead technology, E10A, is an investigational gene therapy agent that utilizes an adenovirus vector to deliver the endostatin gene. E10A is being evaluated in patient populations to treat head and neck cancer, which accounts for 6% of all malignancies in the United States. A Phase II clinical trial of E10A in head and neck cancer patients (n=140) has been completed in China. E10A in combination with chemotherapy, significantly increased the Disease Control rate, and prolonged the median Time to Progression and median Progression Free Survival in these patients, as compared to chemotherapy alone.
Phase II/III clinical trials of E10A are expected to be initiated by 2017 in North America.
Download the executive summary to learn more about Marsala Biotech and E10A.
Cancer Treatment
Cancer chemotherapy strives to cause a lethal cytotoxic event in the cancer cell that can arrest a tumour's progression. The attack is generally directed against metabolic sites essential to cell replication including, for example the availability of purines and pyrimidines that are the building blocks for DNA or RNA synthesis. Ideally these anticancer drugs should interfere only with cellular processes that are unique to malignant cells. Unfortunately most currently available anti-cancer drugs do not specifically recognize neoplastic cells, but rather affect all proliferating cells, both normal and abnormal.
Gene Therapy
Gene therapy is a technology which uses DNA as a pharmaceutical agent to supplement or alter genes within an individual as a therapy to treat disease. Marsala's product E10A uses the Endostatin gene to prevent angiogenesis (blood vessel growth), and shut off the nutrient supply to tumors, starving the tumors and leading to tumor shrinkage.
Small Molecules
Marsala Biotech has an in-house drug discovery program to develop new chemical entities (NCEs) for the treatment/management of cancer.
Management
Management
Management Team
Albert D. Friesen, Ph.D
President
Albert D. Friesen holds a Ph.D. in Protein Chemistry from the University of Manitoba. He has been instrumental in founding and the development of several health industry companies including ABI Biotechnology Canada's first profitable Biotech Company, (now Apotex Fermentation).
Dr. Friesen also led development of Canada's first biotech product, WinRho at Winnipeg Rh Institute Inc./Rh Pharmaceuticals (now Cangene) and is a founder of the Industrial Biotechnology Association of Canada (now BIOTECanada).
Marcus Enns, B.Comm. (Hons.)
Vice President
Marcus Enns obtained his Bachelor of Commerce (Hons.) degree from the University of Manitoba. He was previously employed in the banking industry where he gained valuable experience in lending and financial management.
Mr. Enns held executive positions with two TSX Venture Exchange listed companies, Miraculins Inc. and Kane Biotech Inc. and was involved with bringing both companies public in 2002 and 2003 respectively. Mr. Enns is currently Chair of the Board for the Rosenort Credit Union.
Scientific Team
Scientific Team
Scientific Team
Nancy Stewart, PhD
Director clinical Development
Dr. Nancy Stewart obtained her B.Sc. (Hons.) in human genetics from the University of Manitoba, M.Sc. from McMaster University, and Ph.D from the University of Manitoba. While at the U of M, she examined the role of p53 and its control over cell cycle progression. Dr. Stewart has over 15 years experience in drug development. She first worked at Viventia Biotech as a Regulatory Scientist, in oncology preclinical (in vitro and in vivo), clinical and regulatory areas. Subsequent to this, she served as a Project Manager at Medicure Inc., and after that as Senior Project Manager at Clinical Development Solutions; She has overseen the management of both domestic and international clinical trials, Phase 1 –3, in a number of clinical areas.
KEVIN CARLIN, PhD
Director Product Development
Dr. Kevin Carlin is a senior scientist at CanAm Bioresearch Inc. He holds a PhD in physiology from the University of Manitoba. He has been working in the area of drug discovery for the past 19 years where he has been involved in a number of initial/early-stage discovery projects. Before joining CanAm Bioresearch he worked at both Purdue Pharma LP (New Jersey, USA) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (San Diego, USA). At Purdue Pharma, Dr. Carlin lead a discovery team that produced a novel neuropathic pain compound that is currently being prepared for clinical development.
Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Albert D. Friesen, PhD
Chairman
Dr. Friesen holds a Ph.D. in Protein Chemistry from the University of Manitoba. As the first full time employee and President of the Winnipeg Rh Institute he oversaw the development and initial pharmaceutical approval of WinRho. Dr. Friesen has also been instrumental in founding several health industry companies including Novopharm Biotech Inc. (now Viventia Biotech Inc.), Genesys Pharma Inc., and KAM Scientific Inc. In 1997, he co-founded Medicure Inc. and currently serves as the Company's CEO and Chairman. Dr. Friesen's noteable achievements include the establishment of several GMP production facilities for the production of human pharmaceuticals. He has also managed and initiated the research and clinical development of numerous pharmaceutical candidates, including more than 15 INDs and 2 successful NDAs. Dr. Friesen is a founder of the Industrial Biotechnology Association of Canada (IBAC) and past Chairman of its Board of Directors. He has been a member of the Industrial Advisory Committee to the Biotechnology Research Institute in Montreal. Dr. Friesen has an extensive network within the international biotechnology and corporate finance communities.
Marcus Enns
Director
Mr. Enns is Vice President, Operations for CentreStone Ventures, an early stage life science focused venture capital fund based in Winnipeg, Canada. He currently holds an executive position with a TSX Venture Exchange listed company, Miraculins Inc., and was involved with bringing that company public in 2002. Mr. Enns has held senior management positions with a number of early stage biotech companies over the last 12 years, prior to which he was employed in the banking industry with a focus on lending and financial management. Mr. Enns obtained his Bachelor of Commerce (Hons.) degree from the University of Manitoba. He currently sits on the board of a number of life science companies along with two of CentreStone Ventures' investee companies, Orasi Medical, Inc. and Marsala Biotech Inc.
Find Us
Find Us
Directions
Marsala Biotech is located at 7-1250 Waverley St., Winnipeg, MB near McGililvary Ave.