Mirna Therapeutics Expands Oncology Scientific Advisory Council

Mirna Therapeutics Expands Oncology Scientific Advisory Council

Mirna Therapeutics, Inc.Paul Lammers, M.D., M.Sc., 512-901-0909President and CEO

Mirna Therapeutics (“Mirna”) announced today that Drs. Alan Venook and Steven Weitman have joined the Company’s Scientific Advisory Council (SAC) to provide guidance on the company’s clinical development program. Mirna recently achieved an industry first when its lead candidate, MRX34, became the first micro-RNA (miRNA) mimic product to enter a clinical trial in cancer.

“Drs. Venook and Weitman are ideal candidates to be elected to the Mirna Scientific Advisory Council: they are both accomplished clinical oncologists treating patients, as well as clinical trial investigators and leaders at their respective academic institutions,” said Paul Lammers, M.D., M.Sc., President and Chief Executive Officer of Mirna. “We are extremely pleased to add their expertise to our SAC at a time when our company is shaping its leadership role in developing first in class cancer drug candidates.”

Alan Venook, M.D., is the Madden Family Distinguished Professor of Medical Oncology and Translational Research at the University of California, San Francisco, where he leads the Gastrointestinal Oncology clinical program.

Dr. Venook formerly chaired the NCI’s Hepatobiliary Task Force, is a member of the Colon Cancer Task Force and of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Steering Committee at the National Cancer Institute. He is Chair of the Gastrointestinal Committee of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, where he oversees an extensive clinical trial portfolio. He also serves on the NCCN Hepatobiliary and Colorectal Guideline panels.

A nationally recognized expert in colorectal and liver cancers, Dr. Venook received a BA degree from Rutgers University in 1976 and graduated from the UCSF School of Medicine in 1980. He spent two years in the U.S. Public Health Service following his internship, and completed his training in Internal Medicine at UC Davis and his Hematology and Oncology training at University of California, San Francisco. He has been on the faculty at UCSF since 1988.

Dr. Steven Weitman obtained his M.D. and Ph.D. at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is board certified in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and currently holds the position of Professor and Director at the Institute for Drug Development at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center in San Antonio, Texas. He is also the Distinguished AT&T Chair for Drug Development at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Previously, Dr. Weitman was Chief Medical Officer and Member of the Executive Committee at ILEX Oncology where he led ILEX's successful development of clofarabine (Clolar™) and guided that product through a successful ODAC and FDA approval. He is listed as an inventor on numerous patents, and has authored over 200 papers, abstracts and chapters in the medical literature.

Mirna Therapeutics, Inc. (Mirna) is a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of miRNA therapeutics. The Company has a foundational intellectual property portfolio on the therapeutic use of miRNAs developed by its own scientists as well as in-licensed from other institutions. Mirna’s IP portfolio contains more than 300 miRNAs with applications in oncology and other diseases. Oncology-directed miRNAs include those that are key tumor suppressors in cancer, such as miR-34 and let-7, which have been shown to block tumor growth in a number of different preclinical animal studies. The Company, founded in 2007 and located in Austin, Texas, has received significant funding from Sofinnova Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, Pfizer Venture Investments and other private investors, as well as the State of Texas, both through the State’s Emerging Technology Fund and from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).

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