HAYWARD, Calif., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Kosan Biosciences announced today that Robert G. Johnson, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., Kosan's Chief Executive Officer, will present at the Bear Stearns 19th Annual Healthcare Conference in New York at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on Monday, September 11, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time. A live webcast of the presentation can be accessed through http://events.streamx.us/US/event/EventDetails.aspx?id=ubs20060925 .
In addition, Dr. Johnson will present at the Leerink Swann & Company/MEDACorp Cancer Roundtable Conference at the Le Parker Meridien, New York on September 18, 2006 at 2:45 p.m. Eastern Time. The presentation can be accessed through http://www.wsw.com/webcast/leerink5/register.aspx?conf=leerink5&page=kosn&url= http%3A//http://www.wsw.com/webcast/leerink5/kosn/.
Interested parties may also access a live webcast of Dr. Johnson's presentations by visiting the Calendar of Events page under News and Events on Kosan's website at http://www.kosan.com/ .
It is recommended that listeners log on 15 minutes early in order to register and download any necessary software. If you are unable to participate during the live webcast, a recorded replay of the presentation will be available for two weeks.
About Kosan
Kosan Biosciences is a biotechnology company advancing two new classes of anticancer agents through clinical development - Hsp90 (heat shock protein 90) inhibitors and epothilones. Kosan is leveraging its proprietary discovery platform to generate a pipeline of potentially significant product candidates, primarily in the area of oncology.
Hsp90 inhibitors have a novel mechanism of action targeting multiple pathways involved in cancer cell growth and survival. Tanespimycin (KOS-953) is currently in Phase I and II clinical trials, primarily for multiple myeloma and HER2-positive breast cancer. In addition, intravenous and oral formulations of Kosan's second-generation Hsp90 inhibitor, alvespimycin (KOS- 1022), are being evaluated in Phase I clinical trials.
Epothilones inhibit cell division with a mechanism of action similar to taxanes, one of the most successful classes of anti-tumor agents. KOS-862 is currently being studied in a Phase II single-agent clinical trial in patients with metastatic breast cancer, as well as a Phase II combination trial with Herceptin. KOS-1584, a second candidate designed to improve pharmacokinetics, is in Phase I clinical trials in patients with solid tumors. Kosan's epothilone program is partnered with Roche through a global development and commercialization agreement.
For additional information on Kosan Biosciences, please visit the company's website at http://www.kosan.com/.
