Atelerix Life Sciences Appoints James Bates, MD, as Chief Medical Officer
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, UNITED STATES, September 14, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Atelerix Life Sciences Inc., a leader in new therapeutics for unmet medical needs related to opioid use, today announced the appointment of James Bates, MD, PhD, to the position of Chief Medical Officer, where he will oversee the Company’s drug development initiatives. Dr. Bates comes to Atelerix from the University of Iowa, where, in addition to engaging in multiple NIH-sponsored drug discovery and development programs, he was a full-time clinical anesthesiologist for 35 years. Dr. Bates is a co-inventor of Atelerix’s platform of novel Active Thiol-Based Compounds (ATBCs), including its lead drug Atlex-1099 (also called Sudaxine.)
“We are thrilled that Jim is bringing his strong subject matter knowledge to Atelerix at a time when our first product candidates are advancing to the clinic,” said David Kalergis, MBA, JD, chief executive officer of Atelerix. “Because of his clinical experience as well as scientific background, Jim has a deep understanding of the unmet medical needs relating to the use of opioids, especially in the hospital surgical setting where Sudaxine is targeted for first use. His career-long focus on this issue, including co-invention of our basic drug technology and its lead compound, will help inform the Company’s vision, strategy and culture, which is dedicated to making a fundamental difference in peoples’ lives.”
“I am excited to join Atelerix Life Sciences as we work to bring this ground breaking new technology to clinical practice,” said Dr. Bates. “Sudaxine promises to provide an entirely new approach to the tremendous problem of respiratory depression that accompanies the use of opioids and limits their therapeutic benefit.”
Dr. Bates received his M.D. degree from the University of Miami in Miami, FL, and completed his residency in Anesthesiology at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. He received his BA and PhD in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology at the University of California Santa Barbara and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Salk Institute in San Diego.
About Atelerix Life Sciences Inc.
Atelerix Life Sciences Inc. is a preclinical biotech company developing a platform technology of new drugs targeting unmet medical needs arising from the opioid crisis. This novel drug family, including lead compound ATLX-0199 (also called Sudaxine), addresses death and morbidity from opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD) and other opioid-related conditions. The current approach to side effects from opioids is to administer opioid receptor antagonists such as naloxone, which can reverse these life-threatening conditions. These, however, carry significant risks and limitations, particularly as they suppress pain control, making them problematic in the surgical setting. Our solution, developed in collaboration with Stephen Lewis, PhD, Benjamin Gaston, MD, and James Bates, MD, PhD, is found within the new platform of small molecule drugs called Active Thiol-Based Compounds (ATBCs) targeted at safely preventing or reversing opioid-induced side effects via a novel molecular pathway. Sudaxine, Atelerix’s lead drug candidate, is designed to reverse OIRD while preserving pain relief, with first uses targeted in the perioperative hospital setting.
“We are thrilled that Jim is bringing his strong subject matter knowledge to Atelerix at a time when our first product candidates are advancing to the clinic,” said David Kalergis, MBA, JD, chief executive officer of Atelerix. “Because of his clinical experience as well as scientific background, Jim has a deep understanding of the unmet medical needs relating to the use of opioids, especially in the hospital surgical setting where Sudaxine is targeted for first use. His career-long focus on this issue, including co-invention of our basic drug technology and its lead compound, will help inform the Company’s vision, strategy and culture, which is dedicated to making a fundamental difference in peoples’ lives.”
“I am excited to join Atelerix Life Sciences as we work to bring this ground breaking new technology to clinical practice,” said Dr. Bates. “Sudaxine promises to provide an entirely new approach to the tremendous problem of respiratory depression that accompanies the use of opioids and limits their therapeutic benefit.”
Dr. Bates received his M.D. degree from the University of Miami in Miami, FL, and completed his residency in Anesthesiology at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. He received his BA and PhD in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology at the University of California Santa Barbara and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Salk Institute in San Diego.
About Atelerix Life Sciences Inc.
Atelerix Life Sciences Inc. is a preclinical biotech company developing a platform technology of new drugs targeting unmet medical needs arising from the opioid crisis. This novel drug family, including lead compound ATLX-0199 (also called Sudaxine), addresses death and morbidity from opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD) and other opioid-related conditions. The current approach to side effects from opioids is to administer opioid receptor antagonists such as naloxone, which can reverse these life-threatening conditions. These, however, carry significant risks and limitations, particularly as they suppress pain control, making them problematic in the surgical setting. Our solution, developed in collaboration with Stephen Lewis, PhD, Benjamin Gaston, MD, and James Bates, MD, PhD, is found within the new platform of small molecule drugs called Active Thiol-Based Compounds (ATBCs) targeted at safely preventing or reversing opioid-induced side effects via a novel molecular pathway. Sudaxine, Atelerix’s lead drug candidate, is designed to reverse OIRD while preserving pain relief, with first uses targeted in the perioperative hospital setting.
David Gregory Kalergis
Atelerix Life Sciences
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