Top Oncologist, Dr Samuel Fourie, Joins Advisory Board of AzarGen Biotechnologies

 AzarGen Biotechnologies (Pty) Ltd (Stellenbosch, South Africa), a company focused on developing human therapeutic proteins using advanced genetic engineering and synthetic biology techniques in plants, is pleased to announce that Dr. Samuel Fourie, an oncology specialist, has joined as a Clinical Advisor.

Dr. Fourie qualified in 1987 with MBChB degree from the University of the Free State and started working in the Oncotherapy Department, Bloemfontein in 1990. Since then he has been involved with Oncology on a full-time basis. He initially did mostly clinical research at the Dept Oncotherapy in Bloemfontein where he also completed his postgraduate studies in Oncology in 2001. He also holds a BSc degree in Computer Science from the University of South Africa (UNISA) and a certificate in Health Technology Assessment from the Stellenbosch University Business School. In 2002 he joined the group of Drs Alberts, Bouwer Jordaan as partner and director and in 2008 was appointed as Managing Director. From 2004 to 2006 he was appointed as honorary lecturer at the Dept Radiation Oncology, University of the Witwatersrand. He has been involved with clinical trials since 1992 and was the principle investigator for several studies since 2003.

He served on the executive board of South African Society of Medical Oncology (SASMO), South African Society for Clinical and Radiation Oncologists (SASCRO), South African Oncology Consortium (SAOC), ICON (http://iconsa.co.za/) and is a member of American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Statistical Association (ASA) and of Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). He currently works as Clinical Oncologist at Wilgers Oncology Center and Pretoria East Hospital and serves on the board of Medical Specialist Holdings.

"We are delighted to have Dr. Fourie as part of our expert panel of advisors," said Dr. Mauritz Venter, CEO of AzarGen. "Dr Fourie’s guidance, expert knowledge within the oncology field as well as his experience with clinical trials, will greatly support AzarGen’s position to move forward with the development of an anti-cancer biosimilar".

Dr. Fourie said: "With the focus on clinical safety and affordability, the development of biosimilars for the African market using a plant-based production platform, offer hope to thousands of African citizens with cancer."

About AzarGen Biotechnologies (Pty) Ltd 
AzarGen is a biotechnology company focused on developing human therapeutic proteins using advanced genetic engineering and synthetic biology techniques in plants. The company’s lead therapeutic candidates are: a biosimilar version of an anti-cancer monoclonal antibody and a recombinant human surfactant protein targeted for various respiratory disease conditions. AzarGen has developed proprietary synthetic DNA promoters for various expression platform applications in plant-made pharmaceuticals, synthetic biology and GM-crop improvement. The AzarGen management team is supported by an experienced advisory board for strategic guidance and intellectual property management.

Based in Stellenbosch, South Africa, AzarGen is supported by South Africa’s Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). AzarGen has established a successful technical and business collaboration with iBio, Inc. (NYSE MKT: IBIO), a leader in developing plant-based biopharmaceuticals, providing a range of product and process development, analytical, and manufacturing services at the large-scale development and manufacturing facility of its subsidiary iBio CDMO LLC in Bryan, Texas.