Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Adelene Perkins moves to president of Infinity Pharmaceuticals

By Mass High Tech Staff

Cancer drug-maker Infinity Pharmaceuticals Inc. reports it has promoted Adelene Perkins to president and chief business officer.

In the position, Perkins will continue to be responsible for all of Infinity’s business functions, including corporate and product strategy, business development, finance, organizational development and human resources, investor and public relations, legal, and facilities and operations.

Perkins, who was promoted from the position of executive vice president and chief business officer, joined Infinity in 2002. Before joining Infinity (Nasdaq: INFI), she worked at TransForm Pharmaceuticals Inc., where she served as vice president of business and corporate development. Perkins also previously worked at Genetics Institute and Bain and Co.

Perkins holds a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Villanova University.

In July, Infinity started Phase 1 clinical trials of its IPI-493 oral anti-cancer agent to treat patients with advanced solid tumors. The oral drug is part of the company’s heat-shock protein 90 (Hsp90) portfolio of inhibitors, which ultimately kill cancer-causing cells.

Inifinity said its goal is to determine safety issues with IPI-493 and find a successful dose and schedule. Measurements will be made with computed tomography imaging and disease-specific markers.

In addition to the Phase 1 trial, the company is working on a Phase 1 study of docetaxel and a Phase 2 study of patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Infinity reported a 2007 loss of $16.9 million on revenue of $24.5 million.