Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. Appoints Rik Derynck as Scientific Founder
January 05, 2017 at 11:30 am
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Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. appointed Rik Derynck, Ph.D. as a scientific founder of the company. Rik Derynck, Ph.D. is currently a Professor in the Departments of Cell and Tissue Biology, and Anatomy at the University of California, San Francisco. He also serves as Co-Director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Biology at UCSF. For the past twenty years, Dr. Derynck's lab has been focusing on the characterization of TGF- signaling mechanisms through activation of its receptors and the roles of the TGF--activated pathways in epithelial plasticity and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. His research has greatly impacted its understanding of TGF- family, with many mechanistic and conceptual advances originating from his lab, and has helped to provide the basis for therapeutic approaches based on inhibition of TGF- signaling. Among other awards, Dr. Derynck has been elected as Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company. The Company is focused on discovering and developing therapies for the treatment of fibrosis and related diseases. Its lead product candidate, bexotegrast (PLN-74809), is an oral, small molecule, dual selective inhibitor of αvÃ6 and αvÃ1 integrins that is in development in the lead indications for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). The Company has initiated BEACON-IPF, a Phase 2b trial of bexotegrast in IPF. It has also developed PLN-1474, a small molecule, selective inhibitor of αvÃ1 integrin for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with liver fibrosis. It has initiated a Phase 1 study for its third clinical program, PLN-101095, a small molecule, dual-selective inhibitor of αvÃ8 and αvÃ1 integrins, that is being developed for the treatment of solid tumors. The Company has a preclinical program, PLN-101325, targeting muscular dystrophies.