Champions Oncology Names Angela Davies, M.D., Chief Medical Officer

HACKENSACK, N.J., Jan. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Champions Oncology (OTC: CSBR), a company engaged in the development of advanced technology solutions and services to personalize the development and use of oncology drugs, today announced the appointment of Angela Davies, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer.

Dr. Davies has demonstrated leadership and success in both academic clinical practice and as an executive in the pharmaceutical industry. Previously, she was Chief Medical Officer of OSI Pharmaceuticals where she led the clinical development program for Tarceva® (erlotinib), as well as other pipeline products, until the company's acquisition by Astellas Pharma. Earlier in her career she was an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of California, Davis, where she practiced as a medical oncologist and was a principal investigator on NCI sponsored and investigator initiated clinical trials, specializing in thoracic malignancies and development therapeutics.

"Dr. Davies' blend of expertise will enable Champions Oncology to strengthen our relationships with pharmaceutical companies looking to improve drug discovery efforts as well as practicing oncologists seeking new treatment options for patients," said Ronnie Morris, M.D., President of Champions Oncology. "Her unique perspective is a great asset to Champions Oncology and we are pleased to have her join the team."

"As a practicing oncologist, I saw many patients with limited treatment options and highly aggressive cancers that left little time to test therapies," added Dr. Davies. "The ability to evaluate potential treatments with no risk to the patient and in a model highly correlative to the patient's own tumor would have been a great tool for my practice. I look forward to advancing this technology to enable oncologists, patients and drug developers, to benefit from this approach."  

Dr. Davies most recently served as Chief Medical Officer of Novocure, where she was responsible for the company's global clinical development and medical safety programs, and worked closely with the Global Commercialization Team in launching a newly approved medical device for the primary brain tumor, recurrent glioblastoma. During her tenure at OSI, Dr. Davies was adjunct clinical faculty at the University of Colorado Cancer Center. With her move to the east coast, Dr. Davies will continue clinical practice as adjunct clinical faculty at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven. Dr. Davies has authored or co-authored more than 60 publications in peer-reviewed journals and books and more than 45 abstracts for scientific meetings. She has also held various positions of leadership in the oncology community, including a position on ASCO's Scientific Committee on thoracic malignancies as well as a position on the editorial board of Clinical Lung Cancer. Dr. Davies obtained her medical degree at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, and her internal medicine and medical oncology training at the University of Toronto and McMaster University.

About Champions Oncology

Champions Oncology, Inc. is engaged in the development of advanced technology solutions and services to personalize the development and use of oncology drugs. The company's TumorGraft™ technology platform is a novel approach to personalizing cancer care based upon the implantation of primary human tumors in immune deficient mice followed by propagation of the resulting engraftments, or TumorGrafts, in a manner that preserves the biological characteristics of the original human tumor in order to determine the efficacy of a treatment regimen. The company uses this technology in conjunction with related services to offer solutions for two customer groups: Personalized Oncology Solutions, in which results help guide the development of personalized treatment plans, and Translational Oncology Solutions, in which pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies seeking personalized approaches to drug development can lower the cost and increase the speed of developing new drugs. TumorGrafts are procured through agreements with a number of institutions in the United States and overseas as well as through the company's Personalized Oncology Solutions business. For more information, please visit www.championsoncology.com.

SOURCE Champions Oncology