Arno Therapeutics Expands Management Team With Additions of Two Scientific Leaders

Key Appointments Position Company to Further Advance Development of Lead Compound Onapristone and Companion Diagnostic


FLEMINGTON, N.J., Jan. 13, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arno Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCQB:ARNI), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of oncology therapeutics, today announced that it has expanded its management team with the appointments of Joseph Bisaha, PhD as Vice President, Clinical Operations and Project Management and David M. Jackson, PhD as Vice President, Diagnostics. These additions to the Company's team of highly experienced and skilled members are expected to support the continued clinical development of Arno's lead compound and personalized therapy onapristone and the co-development of a companion diagnostic and other biomarkers with various partners and collaborators.

Dr. Bisaha will be responsible for the planning, implementation and daily operations of Arno's drug development projects, including the ongoing clinical trials of onapristone, for which the Company anticipates to soon enroll the first patient in a Phase I dose escalation study. The Phase I trial will evaluate onapristone in post-menopausal women with progesterone receptor (PR) positive tumors, including breast, endometrial and others solid tumors. The multi-site trial is expected to enroll a total of 60 patients in France. With significant project planning experience, Dr. Bisaha will lead the operational aspects of Arno's clinical development program, working closely with Chief Medical Officer Alex Zukiwski, M.D. to prepare clinical plans and manage the programs.

Dr. Jackson will manage various biomarker and companion diagnostic (CDx) co-development partnerships in support of onapristone. Dr. Jackson specializes in personalized medicine and companion diagnostics, including drug and diagnostic co-development, commercialization and investment, and has more than 13 years' experience with healthcare technology companies and healthcare investment firms with an emphasis on paradigm-changing technologies filling unmet market opportunities.

Glenn Mattes, President and Chief Executive Officer of Arno Therapeutics, remarked, "These key strategic hires position Arno to execute our strategy of advancing the clinical development onapristone and the CDx development. Joseph and David are highly accomplished scientific leaders, who will significantly strengthen our team through their unique blend of knowledge, experience and skills. With their contributions, we are poised for success and I look forward to working with them as we continue advancing toward our near- and longer-term objectives."  

Prior to his appointment as Vice President, Clinical Operations and Project Management, Dr. Bisaha was a Clinical Research Consultant with Kaizen Clinical Services Inc, where he was responsible for Arno's Clinical Operations and Project Management activities. During his 17 year career, he has held various drug development positions of increasing responsibility including Associate Vice President, Project Management at ImClone Systems, Inc., Senior Director, Clinical Research & Drug Development at Ono Pharma USA Inc., Director, Clinical Operations, at Celgene Corporation and Director, Project Management at Yamanouchi Pharma America, Inc. Dr. Bisaha earned his B.A. in biochemistry at Rutgers University, his Ph.D. in cell and developmental biology at Cornell University and was a postdoctoral fellow at The Rockefeller University.

Dr. Jackson joins Arno Therapeutics as Vice President, Diagnostics. Prior to joining Arno, he was Vice President, Business Development at PrimeraDx, Inc., a molecular diagnostic manufacturer and  companion diagnostic development partner, where he was responsible for corporate partnerships and contracts; in- and out-licensing; sell-side BD, design, execution and oversight of companion diagnostic partnership programs. Previously, Dr. Jackson was Senior Director, Companion Diagnostics Partnerships at QIAGEN Manchester (formerly DxS, Ltd.), and since 2007, has worked as an independent development and commercialization consultant to bio and pharmaceutical drug developers, IVD manufacturers and specialized laboratories in the area of personalized medicine and companion diagnostics. Additionally, Dr. Jackson was a senior healthcare analyst covering molecular diagnostics and personalized medicine at ThinkPanmure and an analyst at Research Corporation Technologies, a healthcare-focused venture capital firm. Dr. Jackson earned a Ph.D. in Human Physiology & Medicine from Boston University School of Medicine and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Texas A&M University.

About Onapristone

Onapristone has the potential to be the first approved anti-progestin for oncology indications and provide chemotherapy-sparing treatment to cancer patients who express a specific biomarker, as detected by a companion diagnostic under development. Onapristone is an oral, anti-progestin hormone blocker that has been shown in previous clinical trials to have anti-tumor activity in patients with breast cancer. Onapristone appears to have a unique ability to block the activation of the progesterone receptor, which is believed to be a mechanism that may inhibit the growth of breast, endometrial and other tumors. The activated form of the progesterone receptor (APR) has the potential to function as a biomarker of anti-progestin activity. 

About Arno Therapeutics

Arno Therapeutics is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative products for the treatment of cancer.  Arno has exclusive worldwide rights to develop and market three innovative anti-cancer product candidates.  These compounds are in clinical or preclinical development as product candidates to treat hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.  For more information about the company, please visit www.arnothera.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as "anticipates," "expects," "plans," "believes," "intends," and similar words or phrases. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the timing, progress and anticipated results of the clinical development of onapristone, statements regarding Arno's use and development of a diagnostic test to identify patients with APR tumors, as well as Arno's strategy, future operations, outlook, milestones, future financial position, future financial results, plans and objectives. We may not actually achieve these plans, intentions or expectations and Arno cautions investors not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. Various important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements that we make. Such factors include, among others, risks that the results of clinical trials will not support our claims or beliefs concerning the effectiveness of onapristone or any of our other product candidates, our ability to successfully develop a diagnostic to identify APR tumors, our ability to finance the development of our product candidates, regulatory risks, and our reliance on third party researchers and other collaborators. Additional risks are described in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012. Arno is providing this information as of the date of this press release and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.



            

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