VANCOUVER, Oct. 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Sierra Oncology, Inc. SRRA, a clinical stage drug development company focused on advancing targeted therapeutics for the treatment of patients with significant unmet needs in hematology and oncology, today announced that it will host a Key Opinion Leader call on the topic of "Unmet Medical Needs in Myelofibrosis" on Wednesday, October 17 at 10:30 am Eastern Time.

The call will feature a presentation by distinguished medical oncologist Dr. Srdan Verstovsek, MD, PhD, Professor in the Department of Leukemia at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. "Anemia remains one of the most detrimental inadequately addressed aspects of myelofibrosis. Almost every patient with myelofibrosis develops anemia and it typically becomes worse over time, often leading to transfusion dependency, yet there are no approved therapies to treat this facet of the disease," noted Dr. Verstovsek. "Optimal drug therapy in myelofibrosis would address disease-related cytopenias, including anemia and transfusion dependency, while also improving splenomegaly and constitutional symptoms."

Dr. Nick Glover, President and CEO of Sierra Oncology, will also provide a brief overview of the company's lead drug candidate, momelotinib, a potent, selective and orally-bioavailable JAK1, JAK2 & ACVR1 inhibitor. Momelotinib has been investigated in two completed Phase 3 trials for the treatment of myelofibrosis and has demonstrated a potentially differentiated therapeutic profile encompassing substantive spleen and constitutional symptom control as well as a range of meaningful anemia benefits, including eliminating or reducing the need for frequent blood transfusions. It is postulated that these anemia benefits are related to ACVR1 inhibition. ACVR1 is a member of the TGFβ superfamily of receptors that regulate the iron metabolism pathway and ACVR1 activates the transcription of hepcidin which leads to decreased erythropoiesis. More than 1,200 subjects have received momelotinib since clinical studies began in 2009. Sierra is currently preparing to engage with key opinion leaders and regulators to further define an expeditious regulatory path for momelotinib.

Dr. Verstovsek's clinical and translational research is focused on understanding the biology of and developing new therapies for myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). He is United Energy Resources, Inc. Professor of Medicine and Director of the Clinical Research Center for MPNs at MD Anderson. He has been principal investigator for more than 50 clinical trials testing novel therapies for patients with MPNs and has published more than 400 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Dr. Verstovsek is actively involved with national patient groups and is a frequently invited speaker on MPNs both nationally and internationally. In 2010, he was awarded the Celgene 2010 Young Investigator Award for Clinical Research in Hematology, and in 2011, he was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award, Division of Cancer Medicine, MD Anderson. In 2013, he was awarded the 7th Annual Irwin H. Krakoff Award for Excellence in Clinical Research by the Division of Cancer Medicine, MD Anderson, and the Distinguished Lecturer Award from the Society of Hematologic Oncology. In 2015, Dr. Verstovsek was elected as a member of The American Society for Clinical Investigation in recognition of his contributions as a physician-scientist, and in 2017, he was awarded the Otis W. and Pearl L. Walters Faculty Achievement Award in Clinical Research by MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Dr. Verstovsek and members of Sierra's senior management team will be available to answer questions at the conclusion of the presentation. If you are participating by webcast and would like to ask a question during the live Q&A, please submit your request via email at Questions@LifeSciAdvisors.com.

About Sierra Oncology
Sierra Oncology is a clinical stage drug development company advancing targeted therapeutics for the treatment of patients with unmet medical needs in hematology and oncology. Our lead drug candidate, momelotinib, is a potent, selective and orally-bioavailable JAK1, JAK2 & ACVR1 inhibitor with a differentiated therapeutic profile in myelofibrosis.

Sierra is also advancing SRA737 and SRA141. SRA737 is a potent, highly selective, orally bioavailable small molecule inhibitor of Checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1), a key regulator of cell cycle progression and the DNA Damage Response (DDR). SRA737 is currently being investigated in two Phase 1/2 clinical trials primarily focused on patients with ovarian cancer: SRA737-01, a monotherapy study, and SRA737-02, a drug combination study evaluating SRA737 potentiated by low dose gemcitabine. Sierra is also preparing for a potential clinical study of SRA737 in combination with a PARP inhibitor. SRA141 is a potent, selective, orally bioavailable small molecule inhibitor of Cell division cycle 7 kinase (Cdc7). Cdc7 is a key regulator of DNA replication and is involved in the DDR network, making it a compelling emerging target for the potential treatment of a broad range of tumor types.

For more information, please visit www.sierraoncology.com.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements regarding Sierra Oncology's expectations from current data, anticipated regulatory path and clinical development and potential benefits of Sierra Oncology's product candidates. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, among others, the risk that Sierra Oncology may be unable to successfully develop and commercialize product candidates, product candidates may not demonstrate safety and efficacy or otherwise produce positive results, Sierra Oncology may experience delays in the preclinical and anticipated clinical development of its product candidates, Sierra Oncology may be unable to acquire additional assets to build a pipeline of additional product candidates, Sierra Oncology's third-party manufacturers may cause its supply of materials to become limited or interrupted or fail to be of satisfactory quantity or quality, Sierra Oncology's cash resources may be insufficient to fund its current operating plans and it may be unable to raise additional capital when needed, Sierra Oncology may be unable to obtain and enforce intellectual property protection for its technologies and product candidates and the other factors described under the heading "Risk Factors" set forth in Sierra Oncology's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Sierra Oncology undertakes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained herein or to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date hereof, other than as may be required by applicable law.

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SOURCE Sierra Oncology