Synthetic Blood International, Inc. (OTCBB:SYBD) today announced that it has named six new members to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) to support continued development of Oxycyte™, the Company’s proprietary perfluorocarbon (PFC) therapeutic oxygen carrier and blood substitute.
The new members join SAB co-chairs Bruce Spiess, M.D., Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Professor and Vice-Chairman of Anesthesiology, Chief of Cardiothoracic Anesthesia and Director of the Research Department of Anesthesiology, and Ross Bullock, M.D., Ph.D., University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery and a recognized authority in the treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Drs. Spiess and Bullock were principal investigators in a small Phase IIa pilot clinical study in TBI in which the primary endpoint of increasing patients’ oxygen tension levels compared with baseline was met.
“Our SAB now has representation from a broad range of medical specialties, including anesthesiology, cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery and emergency medicine, which is reflective of Oxycyte’s potential to address a variety of important medical indications,” said Dr. Spiess. “Having worked with Oxycyte, I have seen first-hand its contribution to more favorable clinical outcomes in TBI patients than breathing either 100% or 50% oxygen alone. I view the SAB’s expansion as a positive step in making decisions for Oxycyte’s expeditious development in TBI and other indications.”
“We are delighted to attract a talented group of physicians to assist in guiding us forward at this critical juncture in Oxycyte’s development,” said Robert Larsen, Interim President and CEO of Synthetic Blood. “As previously announced, we are working toward initiating a Phase IIb clinical trial in TBI, as well as initiating animal testing in sickle cell disease, spinal cord injury and stroke in the first half of 2008. We also plan to evaluate the affects of Oxycyte administered in multiple dosing. We look forward to continuing to build our SAB with additional high caliber appointments, primarily focusing on physicians located at medical centers that may be involved with Oxycyte trials.”
New members of Synthetic Blood’s SAB include:
- Abe DeAnda, Jr., M.D., is Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery’s University Associate Professor, Director of Aortic Surgery and Program Director of the Thoracic Surgery Residency Program. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Fellow of the American Heart Association. Dr. DeAnda previously held various positions in cardiac and cardiothoracic surgery at VCU Health System. He has served on the Medical Advisory Board of Cardiotech, Inc., a public company that designs medical device materials for the treatment of cardiovascular, orthopedic, oncology, urology and other diseases, and as Product Champion of Carbomedics, Inc., a Sorin Group Company, the largest European cardiovascular company and world leader in medical technologies for cardiac surgery. He previously consulted with The Medicines Company and Bayer Corporation. Dr. DeAnda has authored more than 60 peer reviewed journal articles, commentaries and letters, and is an accomplished academic and guest lecturer, including CME presentations. Dr. DeAnda received his medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine.
- W. Dalton Dietrich, Ph.D., is a Professor of Neurological Surgery, Neurology and Cell Biology and Anatomy, and the Scientific Director of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the University of Miami. Dr. Dietrich is also a member of the review committee for the Brain Disorders and Clinical Neuroscience Fellowships/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). He is an expert in the pathobiology and treatment of acute and chronic central nervous system injury, animal models of cerebral ischemia, and investigation of the mechanisms of tissue injury in brain and spinal cord trauma. He received his Ph.D. in anatomy from the Medical College of Virginia and completed his postdoctoral work in neurochemistry at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Mo.
- Cyril David Mazer, M.D., is a Professor of the Departments of Physiology and Anesthesiology at the University of Toronto, St. Michael’s Hospital. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Canada. Dr. Mazer is a frequent lecturer and visiting professor, covering topics including blood substitutes, trauma and perioperative ischemia. Dr. Mazer has authored more than 80 peer reviewed publications. He is a member of the Multicenter Studies of Perioperative Ischemia and is a Core Member of the Canadian Anaesthetists' Society’s Research Advisory Committee. He received his medical degree with Great Distinction from the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
- Robert Neil Sladen, M.B., Ch.B., is College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University Professor of Anesthesiology; Vice-Chair, Department of Anesthesiology; and Medical Director, Cardiothoracic and Surgical Intensive Care Units. Dr. Sladen is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Canada, and a Member of the Royal College of Physicians, United Kingdom. He has more than 35 years of medical experience with an expertise in anesthesiology and critical care. Previously, he was a visiting professor in anesthesiology and critical care at the University of Vienna, Austria. He has served in various roles in the Department of Anesthesiology and the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C. Dr. Sladen received his medical degrees from the University of Cape Town Medical School, South Africa.
- Kevin R. Ward, M.D., is an Associate Professor and Director of Research, Department of Emergency Medicine, and Adjunct Associate Professor of Physiology and Biochemistry at VCU, and Associate Director VCU Reanimation Engineering Shock (VCURES) Center. Previously he was a Senior Staff Physician/Scientist, Department of Emergency Medicine and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Senior Staff Physician at Henry Ford Health System, Detroit. Dr. Ward received his medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine. He completed his post-doctoral training in Emergency Medicine residency from the University of Pittsburgh.
- Joseph C. Watson, M.D., is Inova Fairfax Hospital’s Medical Director of Regional Neurosurgery and holds a teaching appointment with the VCU Inova Medical Campus. He is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) fellowship-trained pituitary surgeon with 20 years experience in brain protection research and has headed brain protection laboratories at the NIH and University of California, Davis. He has published more than 30 articles in the areas of pituitary surgery, cerebrovascular disease, spinal disorders and neuronmonitoring. In addition, Dr. Watson is the Founder and President of the Pituitary Adenoma Research Foundation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Stanford University and received his medical degree from the University of California, San Diego.
About Synthetic Blood International
Synthetic Blood International is dedicated to commercializing innovative pharmaceuticals and medical devices in the field of oxygen therapeutics and continuous substrate monitoring. The Company has under development an oxygen therapeutic/blood substitute and a liquid ventilation product, and an implantable glucose sensor. These products are based upon core technologies that include biomedical applications for PFCs, and medical and industrial applications for biosensors. Each of the product candidates is designed with advantages over currently marketed products in major markets including acute respiratory distress syndrome, stroke, myocardial infarction, surgery, trauma, malignant tumors and diabetes. For further information, visit www.sybd.com.
Safe Harbor Statement The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor for forward looking information made on the Company’s behalf. All statements other than statements of historical facts which address the Company’s expectations of source of capital or which express the Company’s expectations for the future with respect to financial performance or operating strategies, can be identified as forward-looking statements. Such statements made by the Company are based on knowledge of the environment in which it operates, but because of the factors previously listed, as well as other factors beyond the control of the Company, actual results may differ materially from the expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements.
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