Jennerex Appoints James M. Burke, M.D. Vice President, Clinical Research

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Jennerex, Inc. (San Francisco), a clinical-stage cancer biotherapeutics company, today announced the appointment of James M. Burke, M.D. to the newly-created position of vice president, clinical research. Dr. Burke will be responsible for all global clinical research activities related to Jennerex pipeline compounds.

"Dr. Burke has been working with Jennerex in an advisory capacity as a clinical advisor for over a year, and has provided significant contributions to the strategic direction and clinical development of JX-594 for the treatment of liver cancer, and we look forward to bringing his expertise in-house," said David H. Kirn, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Jennerex. "In addition, as we advance our earlier stage pipeline products, Dr. Burke's direct clinical research experience using immunotherapeutics to treat multiple solid tumors will be instrumental as we pursue continued development of JX-929, JX-1395 and our next generation products."

Dr. Burke brings approximately 20 years of experience in basic and applied clinical science of genetic and immunotherapy.  His clinical research using immunotherapeutics including oncolytic viruses for the treatment of various cancers have advanced the understanding of the medical applications for oncolytic virus therapy. Prior to Jennerex, Dr. Burke was the Director of Cancer Research at Billings Clinic, where he was also a clinical investigator for JX-594. He had previously served as associate director of clinical research at Cell Genesys, Inc., where he was responsible for the development of the oncolytic adenovirus platform of agents and other gene therapy vaccines for the treatment of cancer and other diseases.  In addition, after completing his Hematology and Oncology Fellowship at UC San Francisco (UCSF), he was an attending physician at UCSF in the department of hematology and oncology. He received his M.D. from Georgetown University and his B.S. in biochemistry and cell biology from the University of California, San Diego. He is the author of more than 10 key publications and presentations detailing the use of gene therapy and oncolytic viruses to treat cancer. He is board certified in hematology, oncology and internal medicine.

About Jennerex

Jennerex, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotherapeutics company focused on the development and commercialization of first-in-class, breakthrough targeted oncolytic products for cancer. The Company's lead product JX-594 is currently in two Phase 2 clinical trials in patients with primary liver cancer—an international, randomized, Phase 2 clinical trial, and a Phase 2 study of JX-594 in combination with sorafenib. Published studies designed to establish optimal dose levels and the safety profile of JX-594 have shown its ability to selectively target and cause destruction of a variety of common cancer types. JX-594 and other product candidates under development are designed to attack cancer tumors through three diverse mechanisms of action: the lysis of cancer cells through viral replication, the ablation of the blood supply to tumors through vascular targeting and destruction and the stimulation of the body's immune response against the cancer. Jennerex is headquartered in San Francisco and has related research and development operations in Ottawa, Canada and Pusan, South Korea. For more information about Jennerex, please visit www.jennerex.com.

SOURCE Jennerex, Inc.