Toronto, ON, Oct. 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vasomune Therapeutics, a leading biotechnology company developing therapeutics targeting vascular dysfunction and inflammation, announced today Douglas A. Hamilton has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the company. Mr. Hamilton will also be appointed to Vasomune’s Board of Directors.

“I am delighted to be joining Vasomune and its team of founders, dedicated scientists, consultants and high-profile institutional investors,” said Mr. Hamilton.  “By selectively targeting the host response, Vasomune’s therapeutic approach focuses on a single, non-redundant pathway that inhibits multiple factors responsible for driving run-away inflammatory processes.”

Most recently Mr. Hamilton served as President and CEO of MetaStat Inc., a precision medicine company discovering and developing novel anti-metastatic drugs for the treatment of patients with aggressive cancer.   Prior to MetaStat, Mr. Hamilton served as Partner at New Biology Ventures since 2007 and CFO of SEA Medical Systems from 2012 to 2014.  Mr. Hamilton served as CFO and COO for Javelin Pharmaceuticals from 1999 to 2006 which was purchased by Hospira (now Pfizer, NYSE:PFE). He led the company through the development and commercialization of its first product and transition from a start-up to a publicly traded company.  Prior to Javelin, Mr. Hamilton served as CFO and Director, Business Development at PolaRx Biopharmaceuticals (now Teva, NYSE:TEVA).  Mr. Hamilton has held various roles at Pfizer, Amgen, Pharmacia Biotech (now GE Healthcare Life Sciences) and Connaught Laboratories (now Sanofi-Pasteur).  Mr. Hamilton earned his honors Bachelor of Science degree from Department of Medical Genetics at the University of Toronto and his MBA from Ivey Business School at Western University.

Mr. Hamilton will succeed Parimal Nathwani, who will remain on the Board of Directors.

“We are thrilled to welcome Doug to the leadership role at Vasomune during this exciting time in the company’s history - he has the management expertise required to transition the company from a preclinical to clinical stage,” says Rafi Hofstein, President and CEO of MaRS Innovation, the founding investor of Vasomune. “Attracting an accomplished leader like Doug to Toronto is part of our efforts to entice expats to return to Canada where there is a need for highly trained executives to become involved in steering start-up companies to success.”

“On behalf of the board and shareholders, I would like to thank Parimal Nathwani for his leadership in creating and guiding Vasomune Therapeutics to its current stage of development, including raising seed financing and orchestrating the co-development deal with Japan-based AnGes Inc, “ said Michael Yonge, Director and Executive Vice President and Chief Administration Officer of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

About Vasomune Therapeutics

Vasomune is a preclinical  therapeutic company that is developing therapies to treat diseases associated with blood vessel (vascular) dysfunction and destabilization. Vasomune’s approach targets run-away inflammation associated with the body’s response to infection and traumatic injury.  This response can lead to, or exacerbate, several clinical indications and/or disease states including respiratory infection (influenza, SARS, pneumonia), acute kidney injury and diabetic nephropathy.  The company’s lead compound, a Tie2 receptor agonist, has demonstrated marked therapeutic impact in many diseases associated with vascular permeability and endothelial dysfunction.  Vasomune’s therapeutics are based on technology licensed from Sunnybrook Research Institute and founded in collaboration with MaRS Innovation. Vasomune is a private biotechnology company with offices and laboratories based in Toronto, Canada. For more information about the company and its product candidates, please visit www.vasomune.com