Gemin X Co-Founder, Philip Branton, Ph.D., Appointed Scientific Director of the Institute of Cancer Research
Montreal, QC — September 25, 2001 — Gemin X Biotechnologies Inc. announced today that co-founder Philip Branton, Ph.D., has been appointed Scientific Director of the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), a division of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Dr. Branton also currently serves as a professor of biochemistry and oncology at McGill University and as a consultant to Gemin X Biotechnologies Inc.
Dr. Branton is an internationally renowned virologist with nearly three decades of cancer research experience and over 100 published scientific journal articles to his name. In addition to his current positions at Gemin X and the ICR, Dr. Branton both serves as Professor of Biochemistry and Oncology, Faculty of Medicine at McGill University and holds the Gilman Cheney Chair in Biochemistry. Previously, Dr. Branton held various positions in the Department of Cell Biology at the Université de Sherbrooke, served as coordinator of the Cancer Research Group at McMaster University, and served as Chair of Biochemistry at McGill University. He has also served in various capacities with the National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC), the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Canadian Breast Cancer Research Initiative. Dr. Branton received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto and completed post-doctoral studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is an assembly of thirteen institutes committed to the creation of new knowledge and its translation into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian healthcare system (CIHR Act). The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) is dedicated to research that will reduce the burden of cancer on individuals and families through prevention strategies, screening, diagnosis, effective treatment, psycho-social support systems, and palliation. For more information on these organizations, please refer to www.cihr.ca.
Gemin X Biotechnologies Inc. specializes in the discovery and development of novel cancer therapeutics. The company's expertise is in apoptosis, or programmed cell death, by harnessing the body's natural defense against injured or damaged cells. Using its proprietary discovery platform, Gemin X has identified a family of small molecules that effectively inhibit the Bcl-2 protein, a validated drug target implicated in B cell lymphoma, breast, lung, prostate and colorectal cancer. Additionally, the company has programs dedicated to the identification of novel cancer targets and therapeutics; discovering small molecules that promote apoptosis in cells infected with latent viruses; and finding compounds that act against p53 independent chemo-resistant cancers. Gemin X, headquartered in Montréal, Québec, was founded in 1997, and employs approximately 30 people.
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