Dr. John Atkinson Joins Biothera Research Advisory Board

EAGAN, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

John P. Atkinson, M.D. of the Division of Rheumatology in the Department of Medicine at the School of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis has joined the Biothera Research Advisory Board, the company announced today.

Dr. Atkinson is Chief, Division of Rheumatology, the Samuel B. Grant Professor of Medicine and a Professor of Molecular Microbiology. His research has focused on the complement system, which plays a critical role in the immune system's response to various challenges.

Complement, a host defense system prominent in blood, has an important role in the well-defined mechanism of action of Biothera's oncology drug candidate Imprime PGG^®. “Dr. Atkinson's expertise in complement and clinical immunology will help broaden our understanding of Imprime PGG's mechanism of action,” said Dan Conners, Biothera Pharmaceutical Group President. “Ultimately the more we know about how our drug works in the body, the more effective our therapies will be.”

Dr. Atkinson has undergraduate and medical degrees from Kansas University. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Allergy and Immunology and Rheumatology. In 2012, Dr. Atkinson received the Human Immunology Research Award from the American Association of Immunologists. This award recognizes an individual who has made significant and sustained contributions to the understanding of immune processes underlying human disease pathogenesis, prevention, and therapy.”

About Biothera, the immune health company
Biothera is a biotechnology company dedicated to improving immune health. The company is commercializing its unique technology platform through two business groups. Biothera's Pharmaceutical Group is conducting multiple clinical trials for the development of a drug that mobilizes the innate immune system to fight most types of cancer. The company's Healthcare Group is a leading provider of natural immune health ingredients for the functional food and beverage, dietary supplement, cosmetic and animal nutrition markets.