SAN DIEGO, Aug. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Viracta Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VIRX), a precision oncology company targeting virus-associated malignancies, today announced that the International Association for Research on Epstein-Barr Virus and Associated Disease (EBV Association) has elected Viracta's Chief Scientific Officer, Ayman Elguindy, Ph.D., to its Governing Board.
The International Association for Research on Epstein-Barr Virus and Associated Diseases is a 35-year-old non-profit organization. The primary objective of the EBV Association is to promote research on Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and to stimulate the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and research materials among scientists throughout the world who study EBV and related diseases. The association organizes the International Symposium on EBV research; a convention that encourages cooperative activities between institutions, organizations and societies that have interests in common relating to basic and applied research on EBV and associated diseases.
"It is a great privilege to serve with the world's premier key opinion leaders on the Epstein-Barr virus as a member of the EBV Association's Governing Board," said Dr. Elguindy. "I've spent the past 25 years working to better understand virus-associated cancers, with a core focus being the identification of novel targets for drug development and I am thrilled to be applying and expanding these efforts at Viracta. I look forward to contributing to further advancements in the understanding of EBV, and the treatment of EBV-associated diseases."
Ivor Royston, M.D., President, and Chief Executive Officer of Viracta added, "I'd like to congratulate Ayman on this international recognition, which speaks to his standing as a well-recognized leader in the study of cancer-causing viruses and associated diseases."
Ayman Elguindy, Ph.D.
Dr. Elguindy joined Viracta Therapeutics as Chief Scientific Officer in July 2021. He has over 24 years of experience studying the role of viruses in cancer and spent the last decade as a faculty member at Yale University School of Medicine, most recently as an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Section of Infectious Disease, and the Department of Pathology. At Yale, Dr. Elguindy ran a laboratory focused on the involvement of oncogenic herpesviruses in the etiology and prognosis of cancer. His group studied the fundamental role of herpesvirus protein kinases in viral pathogenesis and as potential targets for drug development. Additionally, he made seminal contributions to the understanding of oncogenic herpesvirus reactivation from latent to lytic state, the process of viral DNA replication, role of virally encoded cytokines in mediating cell proliferation, and temporal regulation of viral gene expression during infection. He has been awarded numerous grants from organizations such as the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute to study the mechanisms regulating EBV gene expression and the role of viruses in cancer as both a Principal and Co-Investigator. Dr. Elguindy has authored over two dozen peer-reviewed publications and serves in editorial roles at the scientific journals Pathogens and Frontiers in Microbiology. He also serves as a reviewer for multiple journals including PloS Pathogens and the Journal of Virology. He received his Ph.D. and M.Ph. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University.
About Viracta Therapeutics, Inc.
Viracta is a precision oncology company targeting virus-associated malignancies. Viracta's lead product candidate is an all-oral combination therapy of its proprietary investigational drug, nanatinostat, and the antiviral agent valganciclovir (collectively referred to as Nana-val). Nana-val is currently being evaluated in multiple ongoing clinical trials, including a pivotal, global, multicenter, open-label Phase 2 basket trial for the treatment of multiple subtypes of relapsed/refractory Epstein-Barr virus-positive (EBV+) lymphoma (NAVAL-1), as well as a multinational Phase 1b/2 trial for the treatment of EBV+ recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma and other EBV+ solid tumors. Viracta is also pursuing the application of its inducible synthetic lethality approach in other virus-related cancers.
For additional information please visit www.viracta.com.
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