Maastricht, The Netherlands, April 29, 2016 — Cristal Therapeutics, a privately-held life sciences company developing novel nanomedicines against cancer and other diseases, by using its patented CriPec® platform, today announced the appointment of Edwin Klumper as Chief Medical Officer. He will be responsible for the clinical strategy and development of Cristal Therapeutics’ range of nanomedicines.
Edwin obtained an MD, MBA and a PhD degree in Medical Sciences and brings a wealth of knowhow in cancer research in the pharmaceutical industry during a career of over 25 years. As consultant and medical director he supervised over 80 oncology drug development programs and 20 clinical trials. As an employee of midsized and major pharma companies, he gained broad knowledge and expertise in clinical oncology development combining his solid scientific and business background.
Before joining Cristal Therapeutics, Dr. Klumper served as interim-CEO of Dutch SMS-oncology, which he co-founded in 2007. He acted as CMO since the inception of the company until 2013. Prior to SMS-oncology, he served at Nabi Biopharmaceuticals as Vice-President Marketing & Sales Europe, at Amgen as Business Unit Director for The Netherlands, for the UK and as Brand Director Europe, at ASTA Medica as Product Manager, and at start-up Yew Tree Pharmaceuticals as Medical Director. He obtained his PhD as cancer research scientist at VU Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Joost Holthuis, CEO of Cristal Therapeutics, said: “We are extremely fortunate to have Edwin joining our leadership team. Edwin will no doubt contribute to the already firm nanomedicine programme of CriPec® docetaxel, as well as help us move forward in our efforts to develop novel proprietary nanomedicines.”
Ongoing clinical trial with CriPec® docetaxel
Cristal Therapeutics did start the phase I clinical study in July 2015 with its lead candidate CriPec® docetaxel in patients with solid tumours. For this trial, patients are being recruited in two clinical centres in The Netherlands and in Belgium. The first trial data will be available in the course of Q2 2016.
CriPec® docetaxel successfully passed various pre-clinical studies, demonstrating a significantly improved safety and tolerability profile. Current docetaxel-containing products often have limited efficacy, and prolongation of survival comes with a high incidence of adverse events. This imposes major limitations on the current therapy. CriPec® nanoparticles accumulate more preferentially in tumour tissue followed by sustained release, resulting in a significantly higher CriPec® docetaxel exposure of the tumour, thereby overcoming drawbacks of conventional docetaxel therapies.
About Cristal Therapeutics and CriPec® docetaxel
Cristal Therapeutics, established in Maastricht, focuses on the development of nanomedicines with improved therapeutic efficacy. The pipeline comprises of products based on drugs in development and also on the market, in combination with the patented CriPec® platform, for the treatment of various diseases, including cancer and chronic inflammatory disorders.
CriPec® transforms drugs into polymeric nanoparticles via an innovative process. These nanoparticles provide improved distribution throughout the body. The substantial improvement of the efficacy and safety of the drugs entrapped in CriPec® nanoparticles has been demonstrated in several preclinical disease models. Cristal Therapeutics has demonstrated the benefits of CriPec® for various molecules, including peptide drugs, as well as for applications in the delivery of oligonucleotides and active targeting. The results to date have contributed to the company’s present innovative product portfolio.
Contacts
Cristal Therapeutics
Joost Holthuis, PhD
Chief Executive Officer
+31 65 435 5535
joost.holthuis@cristaltherapeutics.com
LifeSpring LifeSciences Communication, Amsterdam
Léon Melens
+31 65 381 6427
lmelens@lifespring.nl