SAN DIEGO, Sept. 10, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Asphelia Pharmaceuticals announced today that several pre-eminent medical practitioners and scientists in the fields of immunology, gastroenterology, neurology, allergy and clinical medicine have joined its new Scientific Advisory Board.
Members of the Scientific Advisory Board are:
Stuart Cook, MD University of Medicine and Dentistry, New Jersey
Stuart Cook, MD is a nationally renowned multiple sclerosis researcher and clinician. During his 25 years as chair of the Department of Neurosciences at MDNJ New Jersey Medical School (NJMS), Dr. Cook developed a top-quality multiple sclerosis research and treatment center. His research has focused on multiple sclerosis and Guillain-Barre syndrome. For the past several years, he has been investigating the role of environmental factors, particularly infectious, and genetic susceptibility that may be responsible for triggering immune system attacks that result in destruction of the myelin sheath which insulates the nerve cells of the central nervous system.
David Elliott, MD, PhD Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa
Dr. Elliott's key interests and expertise are immunology, immunoregulation of inflammation, helminth/host interaction and inflammatory bowel diseases. Dr. Elliott's research interest focuses on the mechanisms that control inflammatory reactions in the mucosa. His laboratory investigates the immunologic circuits activated by helminths that suppress mucosal Th17 responses. He is Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at the University of Iowa and maintains an active clinic caring for patients with IBD or celiac disease.
Eckard Hamelmann, MD, PhD Professor of Pediatrics and Allergy, University Children's Hospital, Ruhr University of Bochum, and Department of Pediatric Pneumology and Immunology, University Hospital Charite (Berlin, Germany)
Dr. Hamelmann is a pediatrician with subspecialties in allergy, immunology and pulmonology. His society memberships include: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAA-I); Collegium Internationale Allergologicum (CIA); Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Allergologie und Immunologie (DGAKI) (Board Member and director of the pediatric Section); European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI). His research focuses are the investigation of novel strategies and tools for prevention and early treatment of allergic diseases and the analysis of the mechanisms involved in allergen-induced airway inflammation. He is leader of the Severe Asthma Cohort, a national survey in the Asthma/COPD Research Net funded by the German Ministry of Research, and involved in several clinical trials in the field of allergy and asthma.
Stephen Hanauer, MD (Chair) Professor of Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology Chief, Section of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, University of Chicago Medical Center
Dr. Hanauer is currently a member of the Specialty Board for Gastroenterology of the American Board of Internal Medicine, as well as a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, American Gastroenterological Association and the American College of Gastroenterology. He actively participates in professional associations and foundations, and serves on committees of the American Gastroenterological Association (past Chair of the Immunology, Microbiology and Inflammatory Bowel Disease & Clinical Practice Sections, Past Governing Board Councilor for Clinical Research) and the American College of Gastroenterology (Board of Trustees). He is a past Chairman of the International Organization for Inflammatory Bowel Disease and was the inaugural Chair of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) Clinical Research Alliance. Dr. Hanauer is editor-in-chief of "Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology and Hepatology" and serves on numerous editorial boards. Dr. Hanauer was a member of the FDA Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee from 1987 to 2000, serving as its Chair from 1998 to 2000. In this capacity, he wrote Guidelines for the "Clinical Evaluation of Drugs for Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease."
Robert Summers, MD James A. Clifton Professor (Emeritus) and Director of Clinical Programs for the Gastroenterology/Hepatology Division, University of Iowa College of Medicine
Dr. Summers is a diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Gastroenterology, as well as a fellow of the American College of Physicians. He served on the Gastroenterology Section of the American Board of Internal Medicine and was President of the American Motility Society. He has conducted multiple clinical studies in inflammatory bowel disease, gastrointestinal motility and colon cancer prevention and his laboratory conducted basic investigation in small bowel motor activity.
Joel V. Weinstock, MD Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University
Dr. Weinstock's laboratory studies the regulation of inflammation as related to the intestine and other mucosal surfaces, including how helminths influence the host mucosal immune response to limit inflammation, as well as mechanisms that lead to development of regulatory circuits, and how these circuits function.
About Asphelia Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Asphelia Pharmaceuticals is a privately-held, clinical-stage company poised to change the course of immunological disorders. Asphelia's primary focus lies in its development of therapies targeting Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis), as well as other immunological and inflammatory disorders, including multiple sclerosis and asthma. Asphelia's lead compounds target the cause of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, not just its symptoms, in an effort to change the course of the diseases and allow patients new freedoms. Asphelia's immunotherapeutics seek to provide patients with safer, more effective and more convenient care.