PROLYSIS ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF PROFESSOR ROGER FINCH TO SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD

Oxford, July 21 2004 – Prolysis Ltd, a private company focused on the discovery and development of novel antibiotic therapies, today announced the appointment of Roger Finch, Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Nottingham and Consultant Physician to the City Hospital, Nottingham, to the Company’s Scientific Advisory Board.
 
Professor Finch is a recognised world expert in antibacterial pharmacology and has served on several UK and European statutory bodies reviewing antibacterial drug therapy. He has authored more than 290 papers covering the fields of antimicrobial chemotherapy, lower respiratory tract infections and the pathogenesis of staphylococcal disease and is the European Editor of Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases. Professor Finch joins Dr Mike Marriott, Dr Geoff Lawton, Dr Mark Whittaker, Dr Ian Skidmore and Dr Ian Harding on the Prolysis Scientific Advisory Board.
 
Welcoming Professor Finch, Steve Ruston CEO of Prolysis said, “We are delighted that somebody as eminent as Professor Finch is joining our Scientific Advisory Board. This is a significant endorsement of our technology and our approach. Professor Finch brings a wealth of clinical experience of antibiotic therapy at a time when Prolysis is driving forward with its lead programmes.”
 
Commenting on his appointment, Professor Finch said, “Prolysis has adopted a pioneering novel approach to the discovery of new antibiotics and I am privileged to be invited to join them in an advisory capacity.”
 
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Prolysis, based in Oxfordshire, UK, is a research and development company focused on the creation of medicines to address the spreading crisis of antibiotic resistance. The Company is exploiting unique insights into bacterial cell biology to create the new broad-spectrum antibiotics that are urgently needed to treat resistant hospital and community-acquired infections. Prolysis has an internal expertise in bacterial cell biology and combines this with structural biology and medicinal chemistry from technology partners to create a multi-project preclinical portfolio. Prolysis will commercialise its new antibiotics by out-licensing after demonstrating proof-of-concept in human Phase IIa studies.

For further information visit the Prolysis website at www.prolysis.co.uk  

Professor Roger Finch is Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Nottingham and Consultant Physician to the City Hospital, Nottingham. He is also Chairman of the NeLI Advisory Committee. He graduated from the University of Birmingham and has held Postgraduate appointments at the Universities of Bristol and London and also in the United States.

Professor Finch has authored more than 290 papers covering the fields of antimicrobial chemotherapy, lower respiratory tract infections and the pathogenesis of staphylococcal disease. He is currently European Editor of Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases and was formerly Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy as well as serving on the editorial boards of several international Infection journals. He has published several books and is co-editor of the reference work "Antibiotic and Chemotherapy" (8th Ed).

Professor Finch was formerly Chairman of the Working Party on Clinical Evaluation of Antibacterial Drugs, member of the European Working Party on Clinical Trials of Anti-infective Agents and Co-Chairman of the Working Party on Self-medication of antibacterials without prescription. He was formerly President of the British Infection Society, Chairman of the Federation of Infection Societies and subsequently President of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. He serves on several committees of the Department of Health dealing with antibiotic resistance. He is advisor to the European Commission and the Committee on Proprietary Medicinal Products.

Media enquiries:
Northbank Communications Ltd
Dr Douglas Pretsell or Sue Charles
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Prolysis Ltd
Dr Steven Ruston, CEO
Tel: 01865 854 700
steve.ruston@prolysis.com