CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Anchiano Therapeutics Ltd. (TASE: ANCN), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel therapies to treat cancer, today announced the appointment of David Kerstein, M.D., as the Company’s new Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Kerstein is an accomplished physician experienced in leading clinical drug development programs for oncology therapies.

“We are thrilled to have David, a skilled medical lead and accomplished clinical drug strategist, join our team at Anchiano,” said Frank Haluska, President and Chief Executive Officer of Anchiano Therapeutics. “We look forward to his medical leadership.”

“I am eager to contribute to Anchiano’s mission to develop a DNA-based cancer therapy for the treatment of malignancies in the urinary bladder,” said Dr. Kerstein.

About David Kerstein, M.D.
Dr. Kerstein joins Anchiano Therapeutics from Takeda Pharmaceuticals International Co., a global research and development-driven pharmaceutical company, where he served as Senior Medical Director of Oncology Clinical Research. At Takeda, he was the lung cancer clinical portfolio strategy lead and global clinical lead for brigatinib. Prior to that, Dr. Kerstein was Medical Director then Senior Medical Director of Clinical Research at ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he was the medical lead for the brigatinib clinical development program and the medical lead for initial New Drug Application submission and Marketing Authorization Application submission for brigatinib. Previously, at Boston Biomedical, Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Global Oncology, he was the clinical development medical lead for the small-molecule STAT3 inhibitor. Dr. Kerstein began his career as a Clinical Research Associate at NormaTec, a medical device company. He received his M.D. from Tufts University School of Medicine and his B.S. in Biology, Summa Cum Laude, from Tufts University.

About Anchiano Therapeutics
Anchiano Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel therapies to treat cancer, with offices in Cambridge, MA, and Jerusalem, Israel. The Company’s most advanced product candidate, inodiftagene vixteplasmid (BC-819), is in development as a treatment for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. www.anchiano.com

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are based on information Anchiano Therapeutics has when those statements are made or its management’s good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: a lack of history of commercial sales; no anticipated earning operating income over the coming years; a dependence on the success of inodiftagene, the development of which will require significant additional clinical testing before regulatory approval can be sought and commercial sales launched; some scientific or technological difficulties that may be encountered and impede R&D activities; a need to raise substantial additional funds to complete R&D activities; the raising of additional capital may dilute holdings of our existing shareholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies or products; and an ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for product candidates, including pursuant to licensed patents

Company Contact:

Frank Haluska, M.D., Ph.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
info@anchiano.com

Investor Contact:
Ashley R. Robinson
Managing Director
LifeSci Advisors, LLC
617-535-7742
arr@lifesciadvisors.com

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