Rakovina Therapeutics Highlights Strength of Scientific Advisory Board Driving Innovation in AI-Enabled Oncology Drug Development
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rakovina Therapeutics Inc. ("Rakovina" or the "Company") (TSXV:RKV) (FSE: 7JO0), a biopharmaceutical company advancing next-generation cancer therapies through artificial intelligence (AI)-powered drug discovery, is pleased to highlight the strength and scientific leadership of its established Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Rakovina's SAB is composed of internationally recognized experts in oncology, AI-driven drug development, and precision medicine. The board plays a vital role in shaping the company's research strategy, pipeline advancement, and translational development initiatives.
Rakovina's Scientific Advisory Board:
Dr. Dennis Brown, SAB Chair, has been involved in cancer drug discovery and development for more than 35 years. Initially with the Stanford Research Institute at Stanford University where he was involved in drug-screening activities sponsored by the US National Cancer Institute. He has been co-founder of Matrix Pharmaceuticals (Chiron), ChemGenex (Cephalon/Teva), and Kintara (NASDAQ:KTRA); inventor on 40+ patents; former faculty at Harvard and currently President of Valent Technologies and chair of Mountain View Pharmaceuticals' Board.
Dr. Artem Cherkasov is the Canada Research Chair in Precision Cancer Drug Design, a Professor of Urologic Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and a Senior Scientist at the Vancouver Prostate Centre. He is a pioneer of the Deep Docking™ AI platform, which accelerates the screening of billions of compounds against DNA-damage response (DDR) targets. This groundbreaking technology led to a $142 million licensing deal with Roche—the largest in UBC's history—and directly supports Rakovina's AI-driven discovery programs.
Dr. Petra Hamerlik is the Chair of Translational Neuro-Oncology at the University of Manchester. She previously served as Principal Scientist and CNS Cancer Bioscience Lead at AstraZeneca, where she advanced the development of brain-penetrant DNA-damage response inhibitors for the treatment of primary and metastatic brain tumors.
Dr. Leonard Post brings over 35 years of experience in pharmaceutical R&D leadership. He previously served as Chief Scientific Officer at both BioMarin and LEAD Therapeutics, where he was instrumental in the development of PARP inhibitor, talazoparib, now commercialized by Pfizer. Dr. Post also held senior roles at Onyx Pharmaceuticals and Parke-Davis, and he currently serves as Chief Scientific Officer of Vivace Pharmaceuticals.
Dr. Neil Sankar is a clinical development expert with leadership experience at companies including Genentech, MedImmune, and Pharmacyclics. He played an instrumental role in the FDA filings for Kadcyla and Ibrutinib. Dr. Sankar trained at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda and holds an MD from Bangalore University.
Dr. Wang Shen is the inventor of Rakovina's KT‑2000 and KT‑3000 candidate series, and the founder and CEO of Viva Vision Biotech. He is the principal inventor of the FDA‑approved drug Lifitegrast and a key contributor to the development of Venetoclax. Dr. Shen is also a co-author of more than 40 scientific publications and patents.
"By convening this powerhouse advisory board, we're aligning world-class scientific leadership with our AI-driven strategy," said Jeffrey Bacha, Executive Chairman of Rakovina Therapeutics. "Their collective track record in discovering, developing, and commercializing transformative cancer therapies is instrumental in advancing our DDR pipeline toward key preclinical and clinical milestones."
How the SAB Accelerates Rakovina's Corporate Strategy
- Rapid AI-to-Lab Validation Harnessing Dr. Cherkasov's Deep Docking™ platform with UBC wet-lab integration to validate hits in months, not years.
- Translational Expertise Leveraging Dr. Hamerlik's CNS oncology insights to optimize brain-penetrant DDR inhibitors.
- Clinical Development Leadership Dr. Sankar's regulatory and trial design acumen ensures efficient progression into IND-enabling studies.
- Commercialization Pathways Guided by Drs. Brown and Post's extensive licensing and deal-making histories to structure high-value partnerships.
- Global R&D Networks Tapping the board's academic and industry connections to accelerate collaborations and expand intellectual property.
With this advisory team in place, Rakovina is poised to:
- Showcase AI-Designed DDR Molecules at Leading Industry Conferences in H2 2025 Present in vitro and in vivo validation data for next-generation PARP1-selective and ATR inhibitors
- Optimize Current Pipeline (July–October 2025) – Optimize lead candidates from the kt-2000 and kt-5000 series with enhanced potency, selectivity, and brain penetration.
- Demonstrate Interim ATR Compound Efficacy ( Q3 2025) – Share early pharmacology and pharmacokinetic data on ATR inhibitors.
- Establish a development collaboration for kt-3283 – (Q3 2025) Join forces with leading companies to develop advanced formulations suitable for clinical development.
- Continue Partnering Discussions for Novel AI-derived kt-3000 & kt-2000 Series Drug Candidates (Q4 2025–Q1 2026) – Leverage AI-driven preclinical data and strategic SAB endorsements to secure co-development and licensing partnerships.
Rakovina continues to advance its novel pipeline of AI‑enhanced design and dual‑mechanism targeting to treat DDR‑driven cancers with high unmet needs.
About Rakovina Therapeutics Inc.
Rakovina Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical research company focused on the development of innovative cancer treatments. Our work is based on unique technologies for targeting the DNA-damage response powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) using the proprietary Deep-Docking™ and Enki™ platforms. By using AI, we can review and optimize drug candidates at a much greater pace than ever before.
The Company has established a pipeline of distinctive DNA-damage response inhibitors with the goal of advancing one or more drug candidates into human clinical trials in collaboration with pharmaceutical partners.
Further information may be found at www.rakovinatherapeutics.com.
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For Further Information Contact:
Michelle Seltenrich, BSc MBA
Director, Corporate Development
[email protected]
778-773-5432
