Genoa Pharmaceuticals and McMaster University to collaborate on Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Research

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Genoa Pharmaceuticals, a leader in the field of pulmonary fibrosis, today announced it is collaborating with Dr. Martin Kolb and researchers at McMaster University to characterize the in vivo advantages and potential clinical impact of Genoa's lead program, inhaled GP-101 (aerosol pirfenidone) for the treatment of IPF.  The research will combine Genoa's expertise in aerosol drug delivery with McMaster's expertise in exploring mechanisms of pulmonary fibrosis and managing patients with IPF.

"Genoa is very excited about the opportunity to collaborate with Dr. Kolb and McMaster University to better understand how inhaled GP-101 may benefit IPF patients," said Mark Surber, Ph.D., Genoa's Founder, President and Chief Scientific Officer. "Genoa is committed to establishing academic relationships with leading institutions to further advance its efforts to develop novel treatments for IPF."

"We are very interested to evaluate novel therapies such as GP-101 to better understand the molecular effects and in vivo relationship to the human disease," said Dr. Martin Kolb, M.D., Ph.D. & Associate Professor in the Division of Respirology, within the Department of Medicine Pathology & Molecular Medicine at McMaster University.  "We are pleased to collaborate with Genoa as we believe GP-101 has the potential to be a key treatment for IPF."

About Genoa Pharmaceuticals

Genoa Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is committed to developing improved therapies for the treatment of IPF. Based in San Diego, Genoa's lead program, GP-101 (aerosol pirfenidone) is advancing towards the clinic for the treatment of IPF. Learn more at www.genoapharma.com

About Dr. Martin Kolb and McMaster University

Dr. Kolb is Associate Professor of Medicine at McMaster University and Research Director of the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health. Dr. Kolb is a recognized expert in the field of lung fibrosis whose research activities focus on the biology of lung injury, repair and fibrosis, particularly in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). He has a strong interest in growth factor biology (e.g. TGFβ and IL-1), extracellular matrix, and mesenchymal cell progenitors (mesenchymal stem cells and fibrocytes). In his lab he uses a variety of disease models to study biological mechanisms and also the efficacy of novel drugs in the preclinical setting. Small animal imaging with CT and PET is one of the exciting new research areas that Dr. Kolb pursues at McMaster in collaboration with other faculty members (Dr. Renee Labiris). Further, Dr. Kolb leads activities in biomarker development for lung fibrosis and he participates as Principal Investigator and Steering Committee members in numerous clinical trials on interstitial lung disease. He is elected Chair of the 18^th International Colloquium on Lung Fibrosis in September 2014 (Tremblant, Quebec).

SOURCE Genoa Pharmaceuticals, Inc.