Sernova Expands Scientific Advisory Board Expertise for its Innovative Cell Therapy Therapeutic Applications in Endocrine Disorders Including Thyroid Disease
LONDON, ONTARIO – TheNewswire - April 14, 2021 – Sernova Corp. (TSXV:SVA) (OTC:SEOVF) (FSE/XETRA:PSH), a leading clinical-stage company developing regenerative medicine therapeutic technologies for the long-term treatment of chronic diseases, today announced the appointment of Dr. Sam Wiseman to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).
“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Wiseman to Sernova’s Scientific Advisory Board,” said Dr. Philip Toleikis, President & CEO Sernova Corp. “Dr. Wiseman’s internationally recognized leadership in surgical treatment of thyroid and parathyroid disease and his forward-thinking interest in Sernova’s development of novel cell therapy-based applications will be a great asset as we seek to expand the clinical applications of our cell pouch platform.”
“The importance of the thyroid gland in controlling everyday bodily functions is often underappreciated. For people who have their thyroid gland removed, the solution relies on lifelong dependence on medication,” said Dr. Sam Wiseman. “Sernova’s cell therapy approach aims at providing a functional cure and improving the quality of life for these patients by allowing them to reduce or potentially eliminate daily thyroid hormone treatments. I am excited to join Sernova’s Scientific Advisory Board and bring my expertise to support them in the development of novel cell-based approaches for treatment of thyroid disease and potentially other endocrine diseases.”
Dr. Sam Wiseman is an academic thyroid/parathyroid surgeon and internationally recognized expert in the management of thyroid and parathyroid disease. He is Professor of Surgery in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and is an attending surgeon at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver. Dr. Wiseman attended medical school and completed residency training in General Surgery, at the University of Manitoba, obtaining a Fellowship in Surgery from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 2000. At Roswell Park Cancer Institute, he completed fellowships in Head & Neck Surgery, Surgical Oncology, and Oncology Research. Dr. Wiseman joined the staff at St. Paul's Hospital, and the University of British Columbia in 2003. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a Consultant Surgical Oncologist at the British Columbia Cancer Agency (BCCA). He currently serves as the Research Head for the Department of Surgery at Providence Health Care and is the Chair of the Endocrine Tumour Group of the BCCA. He has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific publications, numerous book chapters, and served as a senior editor of the medical textbook, Gray’s Surgical Anatomy. Dr. Wiseman’s research has been presented globally and he has received numerous awards and honours throughout his career that include a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar Award and Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 Award. He is passionate about education and mentors and supervises many trainees, both clinically and in research. He is committed to providing new therapeutic options and treatment approaches for patients suffering from thyroid/parathyroid diseases with the ultimate goal of improving quality of life for these people.
ABOUT SERNOVA’S THYROID DISEASE PROGRAM
Sernova is utilizing its Cell Pouch Platform as a potential treatment for hypothyroid disease. Our approach is to transplant a patient’s own healthy thyroid tissue following thyroidectomy into the pre-implanted vascularized Cell Pouch to preserve the normal thyroid function and reduce or eliminate the need for lifelong daily thyroid replacement therapy. Sernova plans to conduct clinical assessments of the Cell Pouch with transplanted thyroid tissue in patients suffering from post-surgical hypothyroidism with the aim of preserving thyroid function and improving patient quality of life.
Thyroidectomy is commonly performed for cancer diagnosis or treatment and for treatment of benign (non-cancerous) disease that includes goiter and hyperthyroidism. It is estimated that about 150,000 thyroidectomies are performed in the US yearly. Patients with Grave’s disease and thyroid nodules undergoing total thyroidectomy, and many patients undergoing partial thyroidectomy require life-long thyroid hormone medication. Post-surgical thyroid hormone replacement therapy, if monitored carefully, can be effective; however, patients often suffer from deleterious side-effects including weight gain, depression, headaches, and cardiovascular disease, with resultant negative impact on quality of life, and significant costs to the healthcare system. The development of new therapeutic strategies to overcome hypothyroidism remains an important unmet medical need.
ABOUT SERNOVA CORP.
Sernova Corp is developing regenerative medicine therapeutic technologies using a medical device and immune protected therapeutic cells (i.e. human donor cells, corrected human cells, and stem cell-derived cells) to improve the treatment and quality of life of people with chronic metabolic diseases such as insulin-dependent diabetes, hypothyroidism, hemophilia, and other diseases treated through replacement of proteins or hormones missing or in short supply within the body. For more information, please visit www.sernova.com.
For further information contact:
Dominic Gray
Sernova Corp
Tel: (519) 858-5126
FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
This release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words “expects”, “plans”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”, “estimates”, “projects”, “potential” and similar expressions, or that events or conditions “will”, “would”, “may”, “could” or “should” occur. Although Sernova believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates, and opinions of Sernova’s management on the date such statements were made, which include our beliefs about the conduct and outcome of clinical trials. Sernova expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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