LONDON, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Jan. 31, 2014) - Sernova Corp (TSX VENTURE:SVA) today announced that Ms. Cathy R. Steiner, CPA CA MSc MBA has joined the Company as Chief Financial Officer.
Ms. Steiner is an industry veteran with over 20 years of experience working with healthcare companies as an investment banker, financial and capital markets advisor, and management consultant. Prior to joining Sernova, Ms. Steiner was Managing Director of Nucleus GC, an advisory services boutique specializing in the healthcare and life sciences sector. In this capacity, she advised healthcare clients at all stages of development on financings, mergers and acquisitions, business development, and growth strategy.
Previously she held the positions of Executive Director, Healthcare Investment Banking for CIBC World Markets, and Vice President, Healthcare Investment Banking for Yorkton Securities, where she was instrumental in raising over $1 billion in funding for Canadian-based companies, and in mergers and acquisitions worth in excess of $2 billion. Earlier, Ms. Steiner was Senior Tax Specialist at Deloitte.
"We are delighted to be bringing Cathy on board as Sernova's CFO," stated Dr. Philip Toleikis, President and CEO of Sernova. "Given her deep capital markets expertise as well as her extensive experience planning and closing successful transactions for healthcare companies, we are confident that she will make a great contribution to strengthening our financial position and advancing our corporate development."
Sernova wishes to thank Mr. Bill Smethurst, the outgoing CFO, for his service to the Company.
Sernova also announces that it has granted an aggregate of 2,910,000 incentive stock options on January 27th, 2014 to certain directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company to purchase common shares in the capital stock of the Company subject to approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Each option entitles the holder to purchase one common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.15, for a period of 5 years, in accordance with the provisions of the Sernova Stock Option Plan.
About Sernova
Sernova Corp is a clinical stage regenerative medicine company developing medical technologies for the treatment of chronic debilitating metabolic diseases such as diabetes, blood disorders including haemophilia and other diseases treated through replacement of proteins or hormones missing or in short supply within the body. Sernova is developing the Cell Pouch™, an implantable medical device for therapeutic cells (donor, xenogeneic or stem cells) which then release proteins and/or hormones as required. The therapeutic cells are protected from immune attack by Sernova's proprietary technology, Sertolin™.
About the Cell Pouch™
The Cell Pouch™ is a proprietary scalable biocompatible medical device, contract manufactured (ISO13485) to meet international regulatory standards. It is inserted under the skin, and forms an ideal environment, rich in microvessels and tissue matrix for the placement and function of therapeutic cells. The Cell Pouch™ is currently being evaluated in clinical trials at the University of Alberta with Dr. James Shapiro as principal investigator in patients with Type 1 diabetes receiving an islet transplant.
About Sertolin™
Sertoli cells when co-localized with donor therapeutic cells release protective factors that can provide a non-toxic, immune-protected environment that may reduce or eliminate the need for daily anti-rejection drugs that currently must be used by patients with transplanted tissues and organs. Sernova is currently conducting preclinical studies to optimize sertoli cells and islets within the Cell Pouch™ through a NRC-IRAP contribution agreement provided by the Government of Canada.
About Clinical Islet Transplantation Program
Please view www.islet.ca for more information on the Clinical Islet Transplantation Program at the University of Alberta.
Forward-Looking Information
This release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although Sernova believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of Sernova's management on the date such statements were made. Sernova expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.