MAX BioPharma Announces Key Update to its Oxysterol Therapeutics® Development Program

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- MAX BioPharma, Inc. (www.maxbiopharma.com) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a second SBIR Phase 2 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Institute of Aging.  This continued support and validation from the NIH allows the Company to continue its accelerated path to the clinic with promising drug candidates that stimulate bone formation and rebuild bone that has been lost in osteoporotic patients.  The Company's bone anabolic therapies are unique and distinguished from the market-leading antiresorptive therapies, and MAX BioPharma is poised to complete development of these highly disruptive treatments to meet this significant unmet medical need.

The Company is also excited to share that its continued research has led to the development of orally bioavailable osteogenic oxysterols that accumulate in bone with a favorable safety profile for intervention in osteoporosis.  The Company will continue to develop its lead oxysterol compounds that have the potential to exert anabolic and anti-catabolic effects, presenting a novel strategy for targeting osteoporosis. 

MAX BioPharma has also generated important data from its oncology program demonstrating inhibition of tumor cell growth and invasion using its proprietary oxysterols, acting as small molecule Hedgehog pathway and TGFb pathway inhibitors in vitro when applied to tumor cells derived from human pancreatic and triple negative breast cancers.    

Lastly, the Company is pleased to announce that Farhad Parhami, PhD, MBA, has joined the Company as its President and CEO after having spent 22 years as Professor and Scientist at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.  As founder of MAX BioPharma and the recognized leader in the field of Oxysterol Therapeutics®, Dr. Parhami will focus his entire efforts on developing the Company's scientific and business development endeavors.  Commenting on his new role, Dr. Parhami stated, "MAX BioPharma is making significant breakthroughs with its Oxysterol Therapeutics® platform technology and the role of oxysterol drug candidates in the regulation of Hedgehog signaling, bone formation and tumorigenesis.  I look forward to accelerating our path to the clinic and reaching our goals." 

About MAX BioPharma, Inc.

MAX BioPharma is a privately-held preclinical stage California-based biopharmaceutical company that is developing novel small molecule lipids as candidates for therapeutic development into future drugs for debilitating and fatal human diseases.  The company will be a leader in a new field of Oxysterol Therapeutics® by leveraging a robust and growing intellectual property portfolio that will lead to treatments for numerous indications.  MAX BioPharma's first success based on small molecule lipids has contributed to the discovery of novel osteogenic oxysterol compounds that target multipotent mesenchymal cells, including mesenchymal stem cells, to induce the formation of bone-forming osteoblasts and bone.  The company is translating this technology into the next generation of therapeutic agents for stimulation of bone formation, locally and systemically, in indications such as spinal fusion, non-union fractures, and osteoporosis.  MAX BioPharma is also pursuing the development of small molecule oxysterols that function as Hedgehog pathway antagonists that will be more effective than currently known antagonists in treating a variety of Hedgehog pathway-related cancers, including pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, and hematologic malignancies.  For more information please visit us at www.maxbiopharma.com

Media Contact: Jason Rifkin
[email protected]

SOURCE MAX BioPharma

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