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Peter Davis, PhD., Kosan's Chairman of the Board, commented: "We believethat Helen possesses the breadth of business management and commercialexperience, demonstrated leadership and commitment to Kosan to ensure that ourcompany can operate at the highest levels of efficiency, productivity andteamwork and advance our key products toward the market. Helen has the fullsupport of the Board and the senior management team, and we are confident thatunder her direction, Kosan can realize its potential as a product-focused,market-driven organization."
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In addition to her extensive experience in business and corporatedevelopment, Ms. Kim's biotechnology expertise also includes corporate financeand strategic marketing.
Ms. Kim's industry credentials include senior positions at Affymax, OnyxPharmaceuticals, Protein Design Labs and Chiron Corporation. At Affymax, sheserved as Chief Business Officer where she created and implemented a newbusiness model and was responsible for portfolio prioritization, licensing andcapital formation. At Onyx, Ms. Kim established and managed corporatecollaborations and had oversight for project management, strategic marketingand investor relations. At Protein Design Labs, she originated the company'smarketing and research and development project management functions and wasresponsible for strategic marketing. At Chiron, she led the global strategicmarketing function for Chiron's therapeutics and vaccines businesses includingnew product launches and established multiple external collaborationsincluding licensing, co-development and joint venture transactions. Ms. Kimmost recently served as Chief Program Officer for the Gordon and Betty MooreFoundation where she successfully developed initiatives to transformhealthcare delivery practices in acute care hospitals. Ms. Kim received a B.S.in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University and a M.B.A. from theUniversity of Chicago.
About Kosan
Kosan Biosciences is a biotechnology company advancing two new classes ofanticancer agents through clinical development -- a Hsp90 (heat shock protein90) inhibitor and an epothilone. Hsp90 inhibitors have a novel mechanism ofaction targeting multiple pathways involved in cancer cell growth andsurvival. Tanespimycin (KOS-953) is being tested in combination withVelcade(R) (bortezomib) in patients with multiple myeloma in a clinicalprogram called TIME. Tanespimycin is also being studied in HER2-positivemetastatic breast cancer in combination with Herceptin(R) (trastuzumab).Epothilones inhibit cell division with a mechanism of action similar totaxanes, one of the most successful classes of anti-tumor agents. KOS-1584 isin Phase trials in solid tumors. Kosan's motilin agonist compound, KOS-2187,licensed to Pfizer, is in a Phase 1 trial in gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD). For additional information on Kosan Biosciences, please visit thecompany's website at http://www.kosan.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaningof the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation ReformAct of 1995 (the "Act"). Such forward-looking statements include but are notlimited to statements regarding the further development and potential safety,efficacy, regulatory status, commercial potential and other characteristics ofKosan's product candidates; the continuation of current clinical trials; theinitiation of additional clinical trials and the timing thereof and the use ofKosan's financial resources. Words such as "will," "expect," "believe," "may,""intend," "plan,"
