Rakovina Therapeutics Welcomes Prof. Artem Cherkasov to the Company’s Scientific Advisory Board

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rakovina Therapeutics Inc. (TSX-V: RKV) (“the Company”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel DNA-damage response inhibitors (DDRi) to address high unmet medical needs in the treatment of cancer, today announced the appointment of Prof. Artem Cherkasov to the Company’s Scientific Advisory Board.

Prof. Cherkasov is a Professor in the Department of Urologic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, and Senior Scientist at the Vancouver Prostate Centre and Canada Research Chair in Precision Cancer Drug Design.

“I am pleased to welcome Prof. Cherkasov to our scientific advisory board,” said Mads Daugaard, Rakovina Therapeutics’ president and chief scientific officer. “Art’s groundbreaking contributions in AI-driven drug discovery and his commitment to advancing scientific frontiers make him an invaluable addition to our team. His trailblazing work, from licensing multiple drug candidates to pioneering AI-based platforms for global health crises, embodies innovation and excellence. We're honoured to welcome Dr. Cherkasov, whose expertise and vision will undoubtedly propel our mission to transform and extend the lives of patients with cancer.”

About Prof. Artem Cherkasov

Prof. Cherkasov’s research interests include artificial intelligence (AI) and computer-aided drug discovery (CADD), structure-activity modelling, drug reprofiling, new cancer therapeutics discovery and development of novel CADD tools and applications.

Prof. Cherkasov has co-authored more than 200 research papers, 80 patent filings and several prominent book chapters. During his tenure at UBC, Prof. Cherkasov has licensed multiple drug candidates to major international venture capital funds and big pharma companies, including an androgen receptor inhibitor to Roche in 2015 for USD$142 million – a record amount for Canadian academic institutions.

In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Prof. Cherkasov led a team employing a novel AI-based platform to process billions of compounds. Within a week they had identified the top 1,000 potential ligands, which they shared with the global scientific community.

“Prof. Cherkasov's unparalleled expertise adds a unique dimension to the Rakovina Therapeutics team and complements our recent SAB appointment of Prof. Petra Hamerlik, former CNS Cancer Bioscience Lead at AstraZeneca," stated Jeffrey Bacha, executive chairman of Rakovina Therapeutics. "Their contribution to our research promises to amplify and expedite the development of our pioneering DDRi pipeline.”