RALEIGH, N.C., April 21, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Islet Sciences, Inc. (OTCQB:ISLT) today announced the appointment of Dr. William Wilkison, COO of Islet Sciences, to Islet's Board of Directors.
"Dr. Wilkison is a well-published scientist and inventor with impressive business credentials," said James Green, Islet's CEO. "Bill's in-depth understanding of drug discovery and development, his long history with research in metabolic disease, and his ability to seamlessly intersect science with the business of pharmaceutical development brings a valuable new voice to our Board."
"I am delighted to join the Board of Islet Sciences where we have a multi-faceted approach to improving the lives of patients with metabolic disease," said Dr. Wilkison, Ph.D. "I am excited about the potential I see across our pipeline and look forward to interacting more closely with the Board."
As Chief Operating Officer of Islet Sciences, Dr. Wilkison is responsible for progressing the Company's pipeline by managing all discovery, development and business development operations. Since joining the Company he has been instrumental in improving and directing development strategies across the pipeline and will be responsible for the integration of BHV Pharma into Islet Sciences. As Chief Scientific Officer at BHV Pharma, Bill was responsible for the development program for remogliflozin etabonate, a positively differentiated SGLT2 inhibitor currently in phase 2b. Prior to BHV, Dr. Wilkison held positions of increasing responsibility at GlaxoSmithKline in drug discovery and development, as well as business development and international alliance management. Dr. Wilkison was a founder of Zen-Bio, Inc., a successful preclinical CRO and Artecel Sciences, Inc., an adipose-derived stem-cell therapeutic discovery and development company. Dr. Wilkison earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Duke University Medical Center and was a post-doctoral Fellow at Harvard Medical Center in the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Wilkison is currently affiliated with Duke University and is a member of an NIH study section at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Concurrent with Dr. Wilkison being appointed to the Islet Sciences Board of Directors, Dr. Jonathan Lakey resigned from his positions as Director and Chief Scientific Officer to dedicate more time to islet transplantation research. "We appreciate Dr. Lakey's contributions to Islet Sciences and look forward to working closely with him as we progress our islet transplantation program" said James Green, Islet CEO.
About Islet Sciences
Islet Sciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company based in Raleigh, NC, is developing new medicines and technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of metabolic disease. On March 13, 2014, the Company announced the execution of a binding letter of intent to acquire BHV Pharma. The combined pipeline includes remogliflozin etabonate for the treatment of type II diabetes and NASH, a cell-based transplantation therapy for insulin-dependent diabetes; first-in-class immune-modulating small molecule IL-12 inhibitors targeting beta-cell preservation, and a PCR based molecular diagnostic measuring beta cell loss for the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes or onset of insulin dependent type 2 diabetes. For more information, please visit http://www.isletsciences.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements for Islet Sciences, Inc. reflect current expectations, as of the date of this press release, and involve certain risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Factors that could cause future results to materially differ from the recent results or those projected in forward-looking statements include the risks described in the Islet Science, Inc.'s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company's further development is highly dependent on future medical and research developments and market acceptance, which is outside of the Company's control.