SAN MATEO, Calif. and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kronos Bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: KRON), a company dedicated to transforming the lives of those affected by cancer, today announced the appointment of Pasit Phiasivongsa, Ph.D., as senior vice president, pharmaceutical development. Dr. Phiasivongsa brings more than 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry overseeing manufacturing processes for novel medicines.
“I am delighted to welcome Pasit to the leadership team at Kronos Bio,” said Norbert Bischofberger, Ph.D., president and CEO. “Pasit has a proven track record of success in devising and executing accelerated manufacturing strategies throughout a product’s life cycle, from clinical development to commercial supply. He will be an instrumental member of our team as we prepare to begin clinical testing of KB-0742, our CKD9 inhibitor, and initiate our planned pivotal trial for entospletinib, our SYK inhibitor, next year.”
Dr. Phiasivongsa has extensive experience overseeing chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) development strategies and advancing programs from proof-of-concept validation through commercial production. He most recently served as senior vice president, technical operations, at Principia Biopharma, a Sanofi company, where he led all CMC development, manufacturing and supply chain-related activities and built the company’s technical operations organization. Prior to Principia, he was vice president, pharmaceutical development, at Tobira Therapeutics (acquired by Allergan), where he was responsible for CMC, technical operations and supply chain activities, and led the intellectual property strategy and development for the company’s core assets. Earlier in his career, he held positions in drug discovery, development and manufacturing at Dynavax Technologies; Onyx Pharmaceuticals, an Amgen subsidiary; Proteolix, Inc. (acquired by Onyx Pharmaceuticals); Astex Pharmaceuticals (formerly SuperGen, Inc.); and Optimer Pharmaceuticals. He began his career as a research assistant at Cell Pathways, Inc.
“I am thrilled to be joining Kronos Bio at this transformative time when the company will soon commence clinical testing of two investigational therapies,” said Dr. Phiasivongsa. “I look forward to working with the team to advance our current programs and guide pharmaceutical development strategy for the future. Together, we have an exceptional opportunity to improve patients’ lives.”
Dr. Phiasivongsa holds a B.S. in biochemistry and a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical and chemical sciences from the University of the Pacific. He is listed on 26 U.S.-issued patents and more than 30 patent applications.
About Kronos Bio, Inc.
Kronos Bio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing therapies that seek to transform the lives of those affected by cancer. The company focuses on targeting dysregulated transcription factors and the regulatory networks within cells that drive cancerous growth. Kronos Bio’s lead investigational therapy is entospletinib, a selective inhibitor targeting spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) in development for the frontline treatment of NPM1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The company is also developing KB-0742, an oral inhibitor of cyclin dependent kinase 9 (CDK9), for the treatment of MYC-amplified solid tumors.
Kronos Bio is based in San Mateo, Calif., and has a research facility in Cambridge, Mass. For more information, visit www.kronosbio.com or follow the company on LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The press release, in some cases, uses terms such as "expects," "planned," “prepare,” “begin,” “initiate,” “commence,” “look forward,” “guide,” "intends," "will," "should," “seek” or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding Kronos Bio’s intentions, beliefs, projections, outlook, analyses or current expectations concerning, among other things: Kronos Bio’s plans to begin a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of KB-0742 in patients with advanced solid tumors and the expected timing thereof; the design of such planned Phase 1/2 clinical trial, including to establish clinical proof of concept to enable potential further development; and other statements that are not historical fact. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation: whether Kronos Bio will be able to initiate or complete the Phase 1/2 clinical trial of KB-0742 and the planned clinical trial of ENTO on the timeline expected, if at all, including due to risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and risks inherent in the clinical development of novel therapeutics; risks related to Kronos Bio’s lack of experience as a company in conducting clinical trials; the risk that results of preclinical studies and early clinical trials are not necessarily predictive of future results; the risk that due to the relatively small number of patients that Kronos Bio plans to dose in the planned Phase 1/2 KB-0742 clinical trial, the results from the planned Phase 1/2 clinical trial, once completed, may be less reliable than results achieved in larger clinical trials, which may hinder Kronos Bio’s efforts to further develop and obtain regulatory approval for KB-0742; and risks associated with the sufficiency of Kronos Bio’s cash resources and need for additional capital. These and other risks are described in greater detail in Kronos Bio’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including under the heading “Risk Factors” in its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020, filed with the SEC on November 18, 2020. Any forward-looking statements that are made in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release and are based on management’s assumptions and estimates as of such date. Except as required by law, Kronos Bio assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.
Contact:
Stephanie Yao
Executive Director, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
650-525-6605
media@kronosbio.com