OliX Pharmaceuticals Names Dmitry Samarsky as Its Senior Vice President of Technology and Global Business Development

Seoul, Korea, January 8, 2016 (Newswire.com) - ​OliX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OliX) today announced that Dmitry Samarsky, PhD, has joined the company as Senior Vice President of Technology and Global Business Development. Dr. Samarsky is a widely recognized expert in oligonucleotide/RNAi technologies and therapeutics. During his career in the field, he was instrumental in driving Sequitur’s growth that led to acquisition by Invitrogen (now part of Thermo Fisher) and made a major contribution to Invitrogen’s success as a global RNAi research tools provider. During his subsequent time at Dharmacon (then part of Thermo Fisher), he had essential role on the management team that strengthened the company’s world leadership in RNAi business and technology. While at RXi, Dr. Samarsky played critical part in establishing the company as a technology leader in RNAi therapeutics. Most recently, Dr. Samarsky helped putting RiboBio (China) on the map as an international player in the oligonucleotide field and launching the CNAF, a distinguished international annual nucleic acids conference in China.

"Dr. Samarsky brings to OliX exceptional expertise and experience in discovery, development, manufacturing, promotion and collaborations in the area of oligonucleotide technologies and therapeutics, including RNAi" said Dr. Dong-ki Lee, Founder and CEO of OliX. "Dmitry will steer advancement of our oligonucleotide technologies and help strengthen and expand OliX’s relationship with biopharma worldwide".

Dr. Samarsky has authored dozens of articles, reviews, book chapters, patents and patent applications in the field of RNA. Over the past 15 years, he has presented at, served as an advisor for and helped organize more than 100 academic and industry conferences related to RNA science and technology. Dr. Samarsky earned his PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology from University of Massachusetts, Amherst, followed by postdoctoral position as H. Arthur Smith Fellow for Cancer Research in laboratory of Dr. Michael Green at University of Massachusetts Medical School.

 “OliX has demonstrated creativity in developing its proprietary oligonucleotide technology platform, deep understanding of underlying in vivo delivery challenges, and practicality in selecting therapeutic targets and indications,” commented Dr. Samarsky. ”The company has a big future, and I look forward to contributing to its effort to become a global leader in RNAi therapeutics.”

About OliX

OliX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutics against a variety of disorders based on RNAi (RNA interference), a ground-breaking technology that allows down-regulation of disease-causing genes. To address the challenges of oligonucleotide drug delivery and safety, OliX focuses on the development of therapeutics that can be applied using local administration routes (i.e. directly) to treat skin, eye, lung and CNS disorders.