LA JOLLA, Calif., April 2, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Duska Therapeutics, Inc., (OTCBB:DSKA), a biotechnology company developing medical products based on adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) and P2 receptor-related technologies, announced today that Professor Riccardo Polosa, M.D., Ph.D., has joined Duska's Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).
Professor Polosa is a member of the faculty of the University of Catania, Italy. He is an internationally recognized leader in the field of chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders and the use of airway challenging studies (bronchoprovocation) in the management of patients with these disorders. He has authored and co-authored more than 450 scientific publications, 151 of which were published in peer-reviewed journals, and his work has been extensively cited by others. In recent years, his clinical research work has established novel applications of the adenosine 5'-monophospohate (AMP)-bronchial challenge study in the management of patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).
Professor Polosa will assume the position of Clinical Director of the Aspirex(tm) program. Aspirex(tm) is the commercial name of Duska's proposed bronchoprovocator, in which the active ingredient is adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP). Professor Polosa is joining distinguished clinical scientists already on the SAB including Professor Peter Barnes, who is a recognized authority on COPD and asthma.
"We are very pleased to welcome Professor Polosa as a new member of Duska's Scientific Advisory Board," said Dr. Amir Pelleg, Duska's President and Chief Scientific Officer. "We believe that the combined, tremendous experience and expertise of Professors Barnes and Polosa in the field of chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders will serve Duska well in its efforts to develop Aspirex(tm) as a new and superior bronchoprovocator as well as Vagonixen(tm), which is our proposed drug for the treatment of COPD," he added.
About Aspirex(tm)
Excessive treatment with inhaled corticosteroids and diagnostic problems are prevalent in primary care patients. Several noninvasive clinical procedures that assess airway inflammation are aimed at the optimization of diagnoses of chronic obstructive airway disorders, prediction of their exacerbation, and assessment of their response to various therapies have been proposed. The most common procedure is the well standardized clinical bronchial challenge study, which employs bronchoprovocators that act directly on airway smooth muscle (e.g., metacholine and histamine). These agents are highly sensitive but not specific for asthma and cannot be used to differentially diagnose asthma versus COPD in a clinical population. AMP and ATP are bronchoprovocators that act indirectly on airway smooth muscle and, therefore, the response of patients' airways to these compounds may better reflect an ongoing airway inflammation, identify more specifically active asthma and be a relevant marker to assess clinical course of the disease and the effectiveness of an anti-inflammatory therapy. Several studies have already shown that the status of airway inflammation correlates better with airway responsiveness to AMP than that of metacholine. Preliminary studies sponsored by Duska and carried out by Professor Barnes and his colleagues at the Imperial College of Medicine in London have demonstrated that asthmatic patients are more sensitive to ATP than AMP (Chest 2005; 128:1905-9). Duska believes that ATP would be similarly superior to metacholine, which is currently used in the U.S., and potentially also to AMP, which has been studied in Europe.
About Duska Therapeutics, Inc.
Duska Therapeutics, Inc., based in La Jolla, California, is an emerging biotechnology company that is focused on the development of therapeutic, medical device and diagnostic products related to adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) and cell-surface P2 receptors (P2R). Duska owns or has exclusive license rights to a number of proprietary products, four of which are currently in various stages of development for the treatment and diagnosis of certain cardiac arrhythmias, enhancement of sperm motility, treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, and mitigation of the toxic effects of radiation exposure. For more information, visit Duska's website at http://www.duskatherapeutics.com.
Forward-looking statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the events or results described in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections made by management. Duska intends for the forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," or variations of such words are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. All statements in this release regarding the future outlook related to Duska are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth or implied by any forward-looking statements. Additional uncertainties and risks are described in Duska's most recently filed SEC documents, such as its most recent annual report on Form 10-KSB, all quarterly reports on Form 10-QSB and any current reports on Form 8-K filed since the date of the last Form 10-KSB. Copies of these filings are available through the SEC website at www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements are based upon information available to Duska on the date hereof. Duska undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.