Race Oncology - RAC (ASX) News & Expert Insights from Stockhead

Race Oncology (ASX: RAC) is an ASX-listed clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with a dedicated mission to be at the heart of cancer care.

Race’s lead asset, bisantrene, is a small molecule chemotherapeutic. Bisantrene has a rich and unique clinical history with demonstrated therapeutic benefits in both adult and paediatric patients, a well characterised safety profile, and compelling clinical data demonstrating an anticancer effect and less cardiotoxicity over certain anthracyclines, such as doxorubicin.

Race is advancing a reformulated bisantrene (RC220) to address the high unmet needs of patients across multiple oncology indications, with a clinical focus on anthracycline combinations, where we hope to deliver cardioprotection and enhanced anti-cancer activity in solid tumours. Race is also exploring RC220 as a low intensity treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

Race is investigating the effect of bisantrene on the m6A RNA pathway, following independent research published by the City of Hope identifying bisantrene as a potent inhibitor of FTO (Fat mass and obesity-associated protein). Dysregulation of the m6A RNA pathway has been described in numerous peer reviewed studies to be a driver of a diverse range of cancers.

Race Oncology has collaborated with Astex, City of Hope, MD Anderson, Sheba City of Health, UNC School of Medicine, University of Wollongong and University of Newcastle, and is actively exploring partnerships, licence agreements or a commercial merger and acquisition to accelerate access to bisantrene for patients with cancer across the world.

Learn more at www.raceoncology.com.

KEY PEOPLE

Dr Peter Smith has over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, with a strong focus on therapeutics, especially oncology. He has been involved in projects at all stages from concept to phase III clinical studies.

He was previously the CEO of private biotechnology company Myrio Therapeutics, and publicly listed Australian companies Alchemia and AMRAD.

Prior to moving to Australia, Peter co-founded and was CFO of Onyvax Ltd, a cancer immunotherapy company based in London. At the start of his career, he was a top-rated Pharmaceuticals Analyst with UBS and HSBC, being involved in numerous transactions including LSE/NASDAQ IPOs, fundraisings, and M&A.

His undergraduate degree and PhD are from the University of Cambridge, the latter in the field of cell-signalling. In addition to serving as a Director of Race Oncology, he is also currently a Director of MycRx Inc., and Amala Therapeutics.

Dr Serge Scrofani has more than 28 years’ experience in the healthcare sector, working in global roles across research and strategy, and corporate and business development. He served as Vice President of Strategy & Corporate Development at CSL for 13 years where he played a pivotal role in multiple strategic initiatives including the company’s global COVID-19 response and its $US11.7 billion acquisition of Vifor Pharma AG. Prior to this, he led Business Development for subsidiary CSL Behring, based in the US.

Serge is currently Principal for Poplar Advisory, a boutique strategic advisory firm focused on the healthcare sector. He is also a Board member of the Burnet Institute and The Centre for Eye Research, and founding Director of private equity firm FinCap Pty Ltd.

After obtaining his PhD in Structural Biology from La Trobe University, Serge undertook postdoctoral research studies at The University of Melbourne and completed a Fulbright postdoctoral fellowship at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla California. He also holds an MBA from the Melbourne Business School.

Dr Daniel Tillett is the founder and CEO of Nucleics, a private Australian biotechnology company producing and selling world leading DNA sequencing software to the Genomics industry. Nucleics SAAS (software as a service) genomics tools are in use in more than 30 countries and at over 250 companies and institutions. Dr Tillett has extensive commercial experience over the last 20 years in the biotech industry in project management, sales and marketing, IP management, fundraising and start-up investing.

Previously, he was a Senior Lecturer within the School of Pharmacy at La Trobe University where he taught and researched in the areas of pharmacy, phage therapy, microbiology, bioinformatics and cancer.

Dr Tillett has a PhD from the University of New South Wales in Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry. He has more than 40 scientific publications and granted patents in molecular biology, microbiology, genetics and biochemistry.

Dr Michelle Rashford serves as Race Oncology’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO), and
is an internationally experienced biopharmaceutical executive and former physician,
with expertise in the successful development and commercialisation of
pharmaceuticals across oncology, virology, and immunology.
Her 25+ years of drug development experience spans large pharmaceuticals to
smaller biotech companies and includes pre-clinical and clinical development,
medical and regulatory affairs, and drug commercialisation.
Prior to joining Race, Dr Rashford worked for Japanese pharmaceutical company
Kyowa Kirin, where she has been the Head of Global Clinical Sciences.