Dr. Robert Shorr, Leading Scientist in Cancer Metabolism, to Speak at Two Upcoming Pharmaceutical Conferences

CRANBURY, N.J., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the cancer metabolism company, today announced that its CEO, Robert Shorr, Ph.D., D.I.C., will be speaking and Co-Chairing The Center for Business Intelligence's (CBI's) 4th Annual Oncology Clinical Trials Summit and chairing a panel on cancer metabolism at the Life Sciences Summit organized by the Center for Biotechnology, State University of Stony Brook, NY. Both conferences will be held in September - the 14th and 22nd respectively. Cornerstone is the leader in the discovery and development of cancer therapies based on the science of cancer metabolism.

Dr. Shorr's accomplishments span the spectrum from technological innovation to the founding, financing, and guiding to full commercialization of biotechnology ventures. He has focused most of his career on the research and discovery of the biochemical basis of neurotransmitter and hormone receptors; their link to metabolic events; their role in pathology, and the design and discovery of therapeutic agents. As CEO of Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Shorr oversees the development, human clinical trials, and FDA approvals of safe and effective novel metabolic targeted drugs and delivery technology for dramatic improvements in cancer disease management.

Prior to Cornerstone, Dr. Shorr served as Vice President, Science and Technology/Chief Scientist for United Therapeutics/Unither, where he was an inventor of PEGylated prostacylcin for pulmonary hypertension. As Vice President of Science and Technology for Enzon Inc., he was responsible for the development and regulatory approval of the blockbuster drug PEG INTRON A.

Dr. Shorr has authored more than 250 technical articles, abstracts, book chapters, and conference proceedings, and has more than 150 inventions and issued or pending patents worldwide.

"Dr. Shorr is a renowned expert in cancer metabolism and has a great body of knowledge and numerous insights that will enrich the ongoing dialogue about clinical trials regarding cancer drugs," said Brendan Emerson, Conference Director from The Center for Business Intelligence. "His experience in the clinical development of a first-in-class cancer drug makes him a compelling and knowledgeable speaker on the topic."

CBI's Fourth Annual Oncology Clinical Trials Summit will be held in Vienna, VA, from September 14-15 and will cover practical concepts for planning, developing, and managing oncology- specific clinical trials.

The summit is a big draw for pharmaceutical and biotech executives as well as academic, non-profit, government, and patient advocate groups. Dr. Shorr will be presenting on September 14 at 3:40 PM.  For more information or to register for the summit visit www.cbinet.com/oncologyct.

The Life Sciences Summit, organized by the Center for Biotechnology and Demy-Colton Life Sciences Advisors, will be held on Long Island, NY from September 22-23. It is a partnering meeting focused on commercially relevant next-generation medical solutions that draws pre-eminent thought leaders from a wide variety of disease areas. Dr. Shorr will be chairing a panel on cancer metabolism on September 22 at 9:30 AM. For more information or to register visit www.lifesciencessummit.org/2010.

About Cancer Metabolism

Cancer cell metabolism is an exciting and promising area for the development of drugs to treat cancer. While it has been known for nearly a century that cancer cells have a unique metabolism, only recently has there been a broad and significant renewal of scientific interest focused on exploring this unique metabolic difference to facilitate the discovery and development of groundbreaking therapies. Cornerstone currently has a drug in clinical trials targeting certain key enzymes that it has identified as crucial to cancer cell metabolism. Unlike normal cell metabolism, cancer cell metabolism utilizes less oxygen and has different nutritional requirements to survive and proliferate. This metabolic difference is considered to be fundamental to the transformation of normal cells into cancer cells and believed to be conserved in all cancers, including solid tumors, lymphoma, and leukemia.  By better understanding these cancer-specific metabolic processes, researchers in the field hope to find new drugs to revolutionize cancer treatment.

About Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals

Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leading cancer metabolism company, is committed to changing the way cancer is treated through the discovery and development of innovative therapies capitalizing on the unique metabolic processes of cancer cells. The company's founding members, management, and scientific advisory team include pre-eminent scientists focused on cancer cell metabolism, cancer research, and drug development. Cornerstone is unique in that it currently has a first-in-class drug in clinical trials that targets key enzymes crucial to cancer cell metabolism. AEMD, the company's distinctive approach to cancer treatment, is the leading platform in cancer metabolism. It has facilitated the discovery of first-in-class drugs with the potential to transform the way cancer is treated.  Cornerstone's lead drug, CPI-613, is currently being evaluated in three ongoing Phase I and Phase I/II clinical trials in a variety of tumor types.

About CPI-613

CPI-613 is the first drug in a new chemical class that, through a novel mechanism, targets metabolic changes considered to be common to many, if not all, cancer types and not present in normal cells. Patients with solid tumors and hematologic cancers are currently being enrolled in multiple Phase I and Phase I/II human clinical trials evaluating CPI-613. These trials include a Phase I/II single agent trial for patients with solid tumors who have failed all other therapy options, a Phase I/II combination trial with Gemcitabine in newly diagnosed or relapsed patients, and a single agent trial in hematologic malignancies.  CPI-613 was granted orphan drug status by the US FDA for pancreatic cancer, which has a poor prognosis, spreads rapidly, and often goes undetected in its early stages.

For further information, visit http://www.cornerstonepharma.com. Or contact:

Meghan Weber at (917) 399-8713

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SOURCE Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, Inc.