NEW YORK, March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Bantam Pharmaceutical, LLC, a pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of compounds to treat cancer with a focus on RNA translation, today, announced that the company has appointed Michael A. Luther, PhD as the company's President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately.
Dr. Luther is a seasoned bio-pharmaceutical industry executive who has a wealth of leadership and management experience in the industry.
"Mike brings the depth of business and science experience that is required for the success of Bantam," said Lionel Goldfrank, of Bantam's Board of Managers. "The addition of his leadership experience and scientific acumen enhances our ability to deliver successfully on our RNA translation programs."
Before joining as Bantam's CEO, Dr. Luther was Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Discovery and Development Services Division for Albany Molecular Research, Inc. Dr. Luther brings to Bantam over 25 years' experience as the leader of various drug discovery and development programs and operations for leading biopharmaceutical companies including GSK and Merck, where he led the advancement of multiple programs to the clinic and approval.
"This is an exciting time to be joining Bantam, with the company's lead compound moving towards the clinic," said Luther. "I look forward to working with the board and Bantam's scientific team and partners as we advance the development of new and innovative cancer therapies."
Dr. Luther was a Muscular Dystrophy Fellow at The Salk Institute and has a PhD in Biochemistry from St. Louis University School of Medicine, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke. He earned his bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry from North Carolina State University.
About Bantam Pharmaceutical, LLC
Bantam Pharmaceutical, LLC was founded in mid-2015 when it acquired intellectual property and lead assets for a promising drug development program focused on novel compounds targeting the inhibition of RNA translation by blocking the production of specific proteins that have been previously difficult to target and are critical for cancer growth and survival. The company combines the professional rigor of a global pharmaceutical company with the ingenuity and drive of a small company to enable efficient and effective pre-clinical and clinical program decisions. Bantam's scientific team and executive leaders have successfully worked together in the past and have been pivotal in the discovery and development of several approved drugs. These drug developers at Bantam are now actively leveraging their past successes to create novel oncology therapies for the future.
To date, Bantam has raised $9,000,000 from investors, and is currently progressing compounds for clinical testing.
For more information, visit http://www.bantampharma.com. Please direct media inquiries to: Meghan Reynolds at [email protected].
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SOURCE Bantam Pharmaceutical, LLC
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