Contact Information: Contact: Rachel Levine Director Corporate Development & Communications Cleveland BioLabs, Inc. T: (646) 284-9439 E: rlevine@cbiolabs.com
Cleveland BioLabs Announces Appointment of International Expert in Chemical, Biological and Radiological/Nuclear Threat Countermeasures as Senior Vice President of Public Health and Government Services
| Source: Cleveland BioLabs, Inc.
BUFFALO, NY--(Marketwire - December 1, 2008) - Cleveland BioLabs, Inc. (NASDAQ : CBLI ) today
announced the appointment of Michelle Ross, DVM, M.S, Ph.D., as Senior Vice
President of Public Health and Government Services, with responsibility for
commercialization of military and public health medical emergencies
applications. Dr. Ross joins Cleveland BioLabs while remaining a Senior
Partner for Biodefense and Public Health Programs with Martin, Blanck &
Associates, a federal health services consulting firm.
Dr. Ross is an internationally recognized leader and expert in chemical,
biological and radiological / nuclear (CBRN) threat countermeasures and
public health strategies in response to both infectious disease outbreaks
and counterterrorism. Her experience and subject matter expertise
contributed to significant new biomedical defense strategies and
countermeasure development for the Department of Defense, in coordination
with the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of
Homeland Security, the Homeland Security Council, and international
partners in prevention, detection, and public health mitigation responses
for both military and civilian populations.
For the past 15 years, Dr. Ross has been a leader in CBRN Medical Defense
in positions from the laboratory bench to developing national defense
policy. Some of her key assignments include Director of Medical Chemical,
Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense Policy for the Office of the
Secretary of Defense, advising the Assistant Secretary, Health Affairs on
developing policies and programs for the prevention of mortality and
morbidity and furthering individual health protection for all U.S. Forces
against CBRN threat agents. She joined Martin, Blanck & Associates
following her retirement from 21 years of active service in the U.S. Army
Medical Department, Veterinary Corp.
Michael Fonstein, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Cleveland
BioLabs, commented, "We are pleased to have the benefit of Dr. Ross's deep
experience in developing CBRN countermeasures, as well as other critical
applications for defense scenarios. We believe the guidance of Dr. Ross
and her colleagues at Martin, Blanck & Associates has been invaluable in
our achievement of almost $25 million in funding from the Department of
Defense and Department of Health and Human Services this year. Dr. Ross
will lead our ongoing commercialization efforts for Protectan CBLB502 as a
countermeasure for acute radiation syndrome (ARS), as well as other defense
applications."
Major General John Parker, M.D., (Ret.), former Commanding General of the
US Army Medical Research and Material Command responsible for
countermeasure development and acquisition and currently a Senior Partner
at Martin, Blanck & Associates, stated, "The funding support for Protectan
CBLB502's development as a radiation countermeasure from the Department of
Defense and Department of Health and Human Services reinforces its position
as a leading candidate for acquisition for military applications and
national stockpiling. Protectan CBLB502's demonstrated efficacy in animal
models and overall profile of use and administration make it an extremely
viable and effective potential solution for contemplated scenarios of
response to radiological emergency."
Protectan CBLB502 is under development for the treatment of ARS under the
FDA's animal efficacy rule. This approval pathway requires demonstration
of efficacy in representative animal models and safety and drug metabolism
testing in a representative sample of healthy human volunteers. An initial
human safety study for Protectan CBLB502 began in October 2008. The
Company already established cGMP quality manufacturing for Protectan
CBLB502, and demonstrated pre-clinical activity of this product in animal
models of ARS.
About Martin, Blanck & Associates
Martin, Blanck & Associates is a leading health care consulting firm that
brings a team of partners with unparalleled leadership experience -- as
health executives, policy makers, physicians and other providers -- who
serve throughout the federal government and the private sector. Martin
Blanck & Associates helps its private sector and government clients move
forward in a challenging environment, by identifying solutions and helping
to implement them. For more information, please visit:
http://www.martin-blanck.com/who.html.
About Cleveland BioLabs, Inc.
Cleveland BioLabs, Inc. is a drug discovery and development company
leveraging its proprietary discoveries around programmed cell death to
develop treatments for cancer and protection of normal tissues from
exposure to radiation and other stresses. The Company has strategic
partnerships with the Cleveland Clinic, Roswell Park Cancer Institute,
ChemBridge Corporation and the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research
Institute. To learn more about Cleveland BioLabs, Inc., please visit the
company's website at http://www.cbiolabs.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning
of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking
statements reflect management's current expectations, as of the date of
this press release, and involve certain risks and uncertainties. The
Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in
these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Some of
the factors that could cause future results to materially differ from the
recent results or those projected in forward-looking statements include the
"Risk Factors" described in the Company's periodic filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.