Panacea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Announces Members of Clinical Advisory Board

ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BW HealthWire)--January 10, 2001--Panacea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is pleased to announce the initial members of its Clinical Advisory Board. The advisory board will provide pivotal guidance on various aspects of the Company's pre-clinical programs and human clinical trials.

"The establishment of our Clinical Advisory Board marks a major milestone for Panacea as we move towards the clinical testing phase for several of our drug development programs," stated Hossein A. Ghanbari, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Company.

Speaking on behalf of the Clinical Advisory Board, its Chairman, Christopher Kircher, M.D., commented, "We are delighted to bring our clinical resources and expertise to such an exciting company as Panacea and look forward to supporting and facilitating the development of its leading technologies and cutting-edge science."

The members are:

Christopher Kircher, M.D. - Chairman

Dr. Kircher is a Neurologist and Director of Clinical Research with Riverhills Healthcare, Inc., a multi-specialty neuroscience group practice with sites in Cincinnati, Ohio and Northern Kentucky. His primary clinical interests are Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease. He is currently the Principal Investigator for on-going clinical trials in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, migraine, Down's Syndrome, peripheral neuropathy, and others.

Dr. Kircher is currently investigating dual isotope SPECT scanning to quantify brain metabolic and perfusion changes in neurodegenerative diseases and multiple sclerosis. He has been involved in patient and community educational programs for multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, hypertension, and headache. Dr. Kircher is a frequently invited speaker and lecturer on various neurological topics for companies such as Glaxo SmithKline, Novartis, Biogen, Merck, Pfizer, and Eisai.

He has served or currently serves as a consultant or advisor to Novartis, Merck, Pfizer, and Glaxo SmithKline and is a Medical Advisory Board member for Auburn Medical Imaging. Dr. Kircher was formerly Chair of the Medical Advisory Board for Nymox Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and currently holds this position for Alzheimer's Corporation of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Dr. Kircher received his Medical Degree from Indiana University School of Medicine. He is board certified in Neurology, and holds memberships in various professional organizations including the American Academy of Neurology and the American Headache Society.

Jane Alavi, M.D. - Neuro-Oncology

Dr. Alavi is Associate Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Dr. Alavi specializes in neuro-oncology and breast cancer with interests in lymphoma, PET scanning, antiemetics, and general medical oncology. She has been a participant in several clinical trials employing gene therapy for the treatment of brain tumors. Dr. Alavi has been given a number of awards and honors including being named Sandie Altman Scholar for Brain Tumor Research.

Dr. Alavi has authored more than 60 scientific publications, book chapters, and abstracts. She is an Editorial Board member of American Journal of Clinical Oncology and a reviewer for the journal Cancer. Dr. Alavi received her Medical Degree from Harvard University.

Robert E. Albright, M.D. - Neuro-Oncology

Dr. Albright is Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Cincinnati Medical Center (UCMC), with Secondary Appointments in Neurology, Radiology, Radiation Therapy, and Internal Medicine. Previous appointments have included serving as Co-principal Investigator of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (Neuro-Oncology Section) and Principal Investigator for the Brain Tumor Cooperative Group for the Barrett Center at UCMC.

He has authored more than 50 scientific publications, book chapters/reviews, and abstracts. Dr. Albright has worked with such companies as Schering-Plough, Parke-Davis, Sugen, British Biotech, and Aventis. He has been the Principal Investigator for more than 20 brain tumor clinical trials. Dr. Albright received his Medical Degree from the Pennsylvania State School of Medicine.

Jean P. Hubble, M.D. - Parkinson's Disease

Dr. Hubble is Associate Professor of Neurology and Director of the Parkinson's Center of Excellence at The Ohio State University Medical Center. She has served or currently serves as a Medical Advisor or Advisory Board Member to the Central Ohio Parkinson Society, the International Tremor Foundation, and the Kansas City Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association. Dr. Hubble is also a member of the Movement Disorders Executive Committee of the American Academy of Neurology and an active member of the American Neurological Association.

She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the Clayton C. Wagner Parkinson's Disease Research Professorship. Dr. Hubble has authored more than 150 scientific publications, review articles, book chapters, and abstracts. She is an ad hoc reviewer for the journal Neurology, Archives of Neurology, and Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology as well as a reviewer for the journal Movement Disorders. Dr. Hubble has participated as Principal Investigator or Co-investigator on nearly 60 grants, studies, and clinical trials sponsored by companies such as Pharmacia and Upjohn, Roche, Medtronic, Novartis, Glaxo-Wellcome, and Elan Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Hubble received her Medical Degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

Ray L. Watts, M.D. - Parkinson's Disease

Dr. Watts is currently the A. Worley Brown Endowed Chair in Neurology at Emory University, where he also serves as Director, Movement Disorders Program; Professor, Department of Neurology; Vice-Chairman for Clinical Affairs, Department of Neurology; Medical Director, American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) Information and Referral Center; Co-Director, APDA Advanced Center for Parkinson Research; and Affiliate Scientist, Division of Neurobiology, Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center.

Dr. Watts is also Chief, Neurology Service at Wesley Woods Geriatric Center; Associate Section Head, Section of Neurology, The Emory Clinic, Inc.; Chief, Neurology Service, Emory University Hospital; and Attending Neurologist, Emory University Affiliated Hospitals, the Emory Clinic and Wesley Woods Geriatric Hospital. Dr. Watts has participated as Principal Investigator or Co-investigator on nearly 40 grants, studies, and clinical trials and has worked with companies such as SmithKline Beecham, Novartis, Hoffman-LaRoche, Eli Lilly, Athena Neurosciences, and Titan Pharmaceuticals.

Dr. Watts is a long-standing member of the National Medical and Scientific Advisory Board of the APDA, and also serves as a Medical Advisor and member of the Board of Directors of the APDA's Atlanta chapter. Dr. Watts has authored more than 100 scientific publications and abstracts, is an Editorial Board member for the journal Movement Disorders, and an ad hoc reviewer for numerous world-class journals such as Neurology, Annals of Neurology, New England Journal of Medicine, and Clinical Neuropharmacology. Dr. Watts received his Medical Degree from Washington University's School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.

Susan Gilster, R.N., NHA - Alzheimer's Disease

Ms. Gilster helped develop and is the Executive Director of the Alois Alzheimer Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, the first freestanding Alzheimer's facility in the United States. Ms. Gilster also helped create the Alois Alzheimer Foundation in Cincinnati, a non-profit foundation formed for the purpose of funding Alzheimer's disease education and research.

Prior appointments included serving as District Manager of Nurse Clinicians for the Abbott HomeCare Division in Lake Bluff, Illinois, where she managed nurse clinicians and consultants in an eighteen-state region. Ms. Gilster has been the recipient of numerous awards including Outstanding Professional in the Field of Aging from the Greater Cincinnati Joint Council on Geriatric Medicine, and she has served on Ohio Congressman Portman's Health Care Task Force for several years.

She has served as a consultant and collaborator to a number of international aging and dementia associations and centers, including the Alzheimer's Disease Society of the United Kingdom, the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association of Australia, the Alzheimer's Society of Manitoba, Canada, the Psychiatrische Klinik und Pilidlinik, der Technischen Universitat in Germany, and Oslo University in Norway. Ms. Gilster has published nearly 30 papers and book chapters and is a frequent lecturer and media source on health care issues relating to the elderly. She has been the Principal Investigator and Co-principal Investigator on a number of Alzheimer's disease related clinical trials. Ms. Gilster received an Advanced Degree in Nursing from Kent State University.

William K. Summers, M.D. - Alzheimer's Disease

Dr. Summers is the Founder and CEO of Alzheimer's Corporation of Albuquerque, New Mexico, a leader in the emerging disease management organization field whose mission is to address the tremendous gap between home care and the nursing home for the Alzheimer patient. He previously served on the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Southern California, and the University of California Los Angeles.

Dr. Summers has worked at the clinical level with memory-impaired patients for more than 20 years. Dr. Summers gained international attention with his landmark publication in the New England Journal of Medicine on the use of Tacrine, which became the first FDA approved drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. He has authored more than 30 scientific publications and holds eleven patents. Dr. Summers received his Medical Degree from Washington University's School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.

Abbas Alavi, M.D. - Neurodegenerative Disease Imaging

Dr. Alavi is currently Professor of Radiology, Neurology, and Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Chief, Division of Nuclear Medicine and Co-Director, SPECT Center, both at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; Associate Director, Center for the Study of Aging and Medical Director, Positron Emission Tomography Center, both at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Alavi is a highly active member of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, and was a founding member, Vice-President, and then President of its Brain Imaging Council, President and member of the Board of Directors for its Education and Research Foundation, and member of its Board of Directors for its Correlative Imaging Council. He has also been the Chairman of the American Cancer Society study section.

Dr. Alavi has served as Associate Editor of Journal of Nuclear Medicine, on the Editorial Boards of Annals of Nuclear Medicine and Sciences, Journal of Experimental and Clinical Cancer Research, Iranian Journal of Nuclear Medicine, and the International Journal of Nuclear Medicine, and as a Manuscript Reviewer for Radiology, Annals of Internal Medicine, Archives of Internal Medicine, Cancer, New England Journal of Medicine, and The Journals of Gerontology. He is a frequently invited lecturer on functional imaging, particularly for diseases of the brain. Dr. Alavi has authored more than 900 scientific publications and abstracts in his distinguished career. Dr. Alavi received his Medical Degree from the University of Tehran, Iran.

Steven J. Pomerantz, M.D. - Neurodegenerative Disease Imaging

Dr. Pomerantz is the Founder, CEO, and Medical Director of ProScan International/MRI Education Foundation, Inc. He also serves as a Research Consultant to Procter and Gamble and as a consultant to Walter Reed Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, and more than 350 medical centers, hospitals, and imaging facilities both nationally and internationally.

Prior appointments have included Director of Advanced Imaging and Director of Metabolic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, Professor of Clinical Radiology at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, and Co-CEO of Professional Radiology, Inc. Dr. Pomerantz is the author of twelve books and is a frequently invited lecturer across the United States and around the world on topics such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), CT, and related imaging and treatment. He has produced more than 100 CD-ROMs, videotapes, and slide sets on the use of MRI. Dr. Pomerantz received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

Panacea also announces an amendment to its December 5, 2000 announcement listing its Scientific Advisory Board members. During recent discussions, it was mutually decided that Dr. Lloyd Mitchell's membership on Panacea's Scientific Advisory Board might result in perceived conflict of interest. Therefore, the Company regrets not being able to use Dr. Mitchell's expertise.

About Panacea Pharmaceuticals

Panacea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. focuses on developing and utilizing protein-based technologies to detect and identify changes associated with and involved in diseases of the central nervous system and cancer such as Alzheimer's disease, brain tumors, transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, and Lewy body diseases such as Parkinson's disease. Changes in disease-relevant proteins by altered expression, post-translational modification, and functional variation are utilized to develop diagnostic tests and therapeutic agents.