CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 27, 2013--
Verastem, Inc., (NASDAQ: VSTM) a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical
company focused on discovering and developing drugs to treat cancer by
the targeted killing of cancer stem cells, announced that Robert
Weinberg, Ph.D., Verastem scientific cofounder and chair of the
Scientific Advisory Board, and Christoph Westphal, M.D., Ph.D., Verastem
cofounder, Chairman and CEO, will present at the MIT Technology
Breakfast on February 28, 2013, at 8am ET.
The Technology Breakfast series features breakthrough discoveries from
research at MIT and brings together the researchers and entrepreneurs
who accelerate and commercialize the technology. Drs. Weinberg and
Westphal will speak on how they are changing the landscape of the
current treatment paradigm in cancer.
Verastem was founded on work in the laboratories of Dr. Weinberg and Dr.
Eric Lander, of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, that describes
the underlying mechanisms of cancer stem cell development and methods to
identify drugs that preferentially target them. Cancer stem cells have
been implicated as a cause of tumor resistance to chemotherapy and
driver of disease progression.
Verastem has advanced the discoveries made by Drs. Weinberg and Lander
into clinical development and is currently testing lead compound,
VS-6063, in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for ovarian cancer in combination
with the standard chemotherapy, paclitaxel. VS-6063 is an orally
available, small molecule inhibitor of focal adhesion kinase (FAK).
Verastem is planning a potentially pivotal trial of VS-6063 in
mesothelioma midyear 2013. In addition to VS-6063, the Company has
multiple drugs targeting cancer stem cells in development. Verastem
plans to initiate clinical trials of FAK inhibitor VS-4718 and PI3K/mTOR
inhibitor VS-5584 during 2013 in patients with advanced cancers.
Dr. Robert Weinberg is a founding member of the Whitehead Institute for
Biomedical Research and the Daniel K. Ludwig Professor for Cancer
Research in the Department of Biology at MIT. Dr. Weinberg is an
internationally recognized authority on the genetic basis of human
cancer development and is the author or editor of five books and more
than 350 articles. The Weinberg lab is known for its discovery of the
first human oncogene -- the ras oncogene that causes normal cells to
form tumors -- and the isolation of the first known tumor suppressor
gene -- the Rb gene. He earned his S.B. and Ph.D. in biology/life
science from MIT. Dr. Weinberg is a member of the National Academy of
Sciences, the Institute of Medicine and a Fellow of the American Academy
of Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Christoph Westphal cofounded Verastem and is the Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of the Company. Dr. Westphal is a partner of Longwood
Fund, which founds and invests in medical companies. He was founder and
chief executive officer of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, which he took public
and led as chief executive officer until 2010. Christoph cofounded
Alnara Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Eli Lilly in 2010) and was cofounder
and chief executive officer of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Momenta
Pharmaceuticals. Currently, Dr. Westphal serves on the board of
directors of Ovascience (which he cofounded), on the Board of Fellows of
Harvard Medical School and on the Board of Overseers of the Boston
Symphony Orchestra. He earned an M.D. from Harvard Medical School, Ph.D.
in genetics from Harvard University and BA, summa cum laude and Phi Beta
Kappa, from Columbia University.
About Verastem, Inc.
Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSTM) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical
company focused on discovering and developing drugs to treat cancer by
the targeted killing of cancer stem cells. Cancer stem cells are an
underlying cause of tumor recurrence and metastasis. Verastem is
developing small molecule inhibitors of signaling pathways that are
critical to cancer stem cell survival and proliferation: FAK, PI3K/mTOR
and Wnt. For more information, please visit www.verastem.com.
Forward-looking statements:
This press release includes forward-looking statements about the
Company’s strategy, future plans and prospects, including statements
regarding the development of the Company’s compounds, including VS-6063,
VS-4718 and VS-5584 and the Company’s FAK and diagnostic programs
generally, the timeline for clinical development and regulatory approval
of the Company’s compounds and the structure of the Company’s planned
clinical trials. The words “anticipate,” “appear,” “believe,”
“estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,”
“target,” “potential,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “continue,”
and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking
statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these
identifying words. Each forward-looking statement is subject to risks
and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those expressed or implied in such statement. Applicable risks and
uncertainties include the risks that the preclinical testing of the
Company’s compounds may not be predictive of the success of later
clinical trials, that the Company will be unable to successfully
complete the clinical development of its compounds, including VS-6063,
VS-4718 and VS-5584, that the development of the Company’s compounds
will take longer or cost more than planned, and that the Company’s
compounds will not receive regulatory approval or become commercially
successful products. Other risks and uncertainties include those
identified under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and in any
subsequent SEC filings. The forward-looking statements contained in this
presentation reflect the Company’s current views with respect to future
events, and the Company does not undertake and specifically disclaims
any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
Source: Verastem, Inc.
Verastem, Inc.
Investors:
Brian Sullivan,
617-252-9314
bsullivan@verastem.com
or
Media:
Kari
Watson, 781-235-3060
kwatson@macbiocom.com