Atherosclerosis Researcher Dr. Erik Stroes Joins AtheroNova's Clinical Advisory Board

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- AtheroNova Inc. (OTCBB: AHRO), a biotech company focused on the research and development of compounds to safely regress atherosclerotic plaque and improve lipid profiles in humans, today announced that Erik SG Stroes, MD, Chair and Professor at the Department of Vascular Medicine at the Academic Medical Center (AMC), Amsterdam has joined the Company as a member of the Clinical Advisory Board.

"We are pleased to announce that Dr. Stroes has joined AtheroNova in this very important clinical advisory role as we continue to expand our scientific and medical teams as we transition to a clinical stage company," stated Thomas W. Gardner, CEO of AtheroNova. "Dr. Stroes' leadership in the area of lipidology has been an integral part of many atherogenesis studies.  We feel that adding Dr. Stroes to the AtheroNova team is significant in its impact on the knowledge he will contribute to our clinical efforts."

"Professor Stroes is world renowned for his cutting edge clinical care of cardiovascular patients and for his pioneering clinical research activities that have contributed to a very significant reduction in the ravages of cardiovascular disease in this decade," commented Mark K. Wedel, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of AtheroNova.  "We are honored that Erik will be bringing his talents and leadership to AtheroNova's efforts to further improve the plight of cardiovascular patients."  

"I was initially attracted to AtheroNova by the team that they are building, including my colleagues Dr. John Kastelein and Dr. Steve Nicholls," remarked Dr. Stroes.  "AtheroNova's science, though early-stage, has a chance to become an important part of the treatment of cardiovascular disease. I am looking forward to building on the research success of AHRO-001 and the opportunity to evaluate the drug in clinical trials."

For over two decades, Dr. Stroes has focused on the role of the vessel wall in atherogenesis development. In the late nineties, he studied modulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (co-factor suppletion, gene therapy) as a major topic for research, leading to the first demonstration of the relevance of nitric oxide synthase uncoupling in humans with dyslipidemia.

Since his transition to the AMC, Dr. Stroes has focused on lipid disorders in relation to atherogenesis. He has participated in numerous lipid lowering trials using surrogate markers such as intima media thickness (ENHANCE study) and flow mediated dilation. More recently, he has observed that 3T-MRI has been added as surrogate marker for vascular disease progression. In addition, his observations on novel gene defects contributing to lipid disorders (HDLc, hypertriglyceridemia) have been pursued by collecting autosomal dominant families with these disorders.

Additionally, Dr. Stroes has been involved in the development of novel therapeutic moieties for dyslipidemia, such as Lipoprotein lipase gene therapy, apoB antisense, reconstituted HDL-infusion and other novel compounds. To date, he has published more than 195 papers in peer reviewed journals.

About AtheroNova

AtheroNova Inc. is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery, research, development and licensing of novel compounds to safely reduce or regress atherosclerotic plaque deposits and improve lipid profiles in humans. In addition to its lead compound AHRO-001, AtheroNova plans to develop multiple applications for its patented and patents-pending therapies in market sectors that include: Cardiovascular Disease, Stroke, Peripheral Artery Disease, Dementia and Alzheimer's and Erectile Dysfunction, all of which have been linked to atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis and its related pharmaceutical expenses for these indications cost consumers more than $41 billion annually in the United States alone. For more information, please visit www.AtheroNova.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of AtheroNova's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; significant fluctuations in expenses associated with clinical trials, failure to secure additional financing, the inability to complete regulatory filings with the Food and Drug Administration, general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; AtheroNova's ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of AtheroNova's patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.

AtheroNova undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in AtheroNova's 2012 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC's Internet site (www.sec.gov).

SOURCE AtheroNova Inc.