enGene Announces Hiring of Dr. Raj Pruthi as Senior Vice President, Urologic Oncology and Clinical Development
BOSTON and MONTREAL, April 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - enGene Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ENGN, enGene", or the ", Company", ))), a clinical-stage genetic medicines company whose non-viral, intravesical lead product candidate, EG-70, is in a pivotal study for BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), today announced that Raj Pruthi MD MHA FACS has joined the Company as SVP, Urologic Oncology and Clinical Development, reporting to enGene's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Richard Bryce. In this role, Dr. Pruthi's responsibilities will include supporting the clinical development of EG-70 across the urologic space, including through engagement with the urological community. He joins enGene from Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, where he was most recently the Global Medical Affairs Leader, Bladder Cancer and Senior Medical Director, Oncology (Global – Prostate and Bladder Cancer).
"We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Raj Pruthi to the enGene team. He is a renowned physician-scientist with over 25 years' experience in the urology space," said Jason Hanson, Chief Executive Officer of enGene. "With a track record of leadership and engagement within the urology community, such as his service on the committee to help develop the American Urological Association's guidelines on management of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, we believe Dr. Pruthi will be a strong addition to our team as we continue our LEGEND study of EG-70 in both BCG-unresponsive and BCG-naïve NMIBC patients and consider expansion of EG-70 into additional urologic indications."
"This is an exciting time to join enGene. I believe that the EG-70 safety and efficacy data in BCG-unresponsive NMIBC shown to date are highly encouraging and suggest that this product candidate has the potential to become an important medicine that is utilized broadly across the continuum of bladder care. In addition, the design characteristics of EG-70, including ease of use without the onerous storage and handling requirements typical of viral approaches, support the potential for utilization by the entire urological community, whether in a community, large group practice or academic setting," said Dr. Pruthi. "I look forward to working alongside the team to advance the pivotal LEGEND study and furthering our mission of bringing new therapies to patients in need."
In addition to his position at enGene, Dr. Pruthi maintains multiple prominent leadership roles within the urological community. He is the Chair of the Advisory Council for Urology of the American College of Surgeons and serves on its Board of Governors. He is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Urology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University/Northwell and previously served as Professor and Chair of both the UCSF Department of Urology and the Department of Urology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
He was a member of the American Board of Urology (ABU)/ American Urological Association (AUA) Examination Committee and is Past-President for the Society of Academic Urology. He served on the Guidelines Committee and helped to develop the AUA Guidelines on the Management of Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer, and also served on the Bladder Cancer Guidelines Committee of the International Consultation on Urological Diseases.
Dr. Pruthi graduated from Duke University School of Medicine and completed his residency and post-graduate training in Urologic Surgery at Stanford University. He also holds a Master's of Health Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
enGene is a late-stage biotechnology company mainstreaming genetic medicines through the delivery of therapeutics to mucosal tissues and other organs, whose lead program EG-70 is being evaluated in an ongoing pivotal study for patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with carcinoma in situ (Cis) who are unresponsive or naïve to treatment with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). EG-70 was developed using enGene's proprietary Dually Derivatized Oligochitosan (DDX) platform, which enables penetration of mucosal tissues and delivery of a wide range of sizes and types of cargo, including DNA and various forms of RNA. enGene became a publicly traded company effective November 1, 2023, upon the completion of a business combination with Forbion European Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company. For more information, visit enGene.com.
Some of the statements contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). enGene's forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding enGene's expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions, goals, strategies, forecasts and projections. The words "anticipate", "appear", "approximate", "believe", "continue", "could", "estimate", "expect", "foresee", "intend", "may", "might", "plan", "possible", "potential", "predict", "project", "seek", "should", "would", and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements may include, for example, statements about: our beliefs as to the potential benefits of EG-70 and potential for its broad adoption.
Many factors, risks, uncertainties and assumptions could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the Company's ability to recruit and retain qualified scientific and management personnel; establish clinical trial sites and enroll patients in its clinical trials; execute on the Company's clinical development plans and ability to secure regulatory approval on anticipated timelines; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR+ and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on EDGAR, including those described in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023 (copies of which may be obtained at www.sedarplus.ca or www.sec.gov).
You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. enGene anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause enGene's assessments to change. While enGene may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, enGene specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, unless required by applicable law. Nothing in this press release should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved.
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SOURCE enGene Inc.