UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

 

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

 

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of

The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported): December 5, 2014

 

Commission File No. 000-16929

 

Soligenix, Inc.

(Exact name of small business issuer as specified in its charter)

 

DELAWARE   41-1505029
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or
organization)		   (I.R.S.  Employer Identification Number)
     

29 Emmons Drive,

Suite C-10

Princeton, NJ

  

 

 

08540

(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

 

(609) 538-8200
(Issuer’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

 

☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

 

 

 
 

 

Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

 

As of December 5, 2014, Robert N. Brey, Ph.D., the Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Soligenix, Inc. (the “Company”), is no longer employed by the Company.

 

Also on December 5, 2014, the Company appointed Oreola Donini, Ph.D., as the Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of the Company. Dr. Donini, age 42, has served as the Vice President of Preclinical Research and Development of the Company since August 15, 2013. She has more than 15 years’ experience in drug discovery and preclinical development with start-up biotechnology companies. From 2012 to 2013, Dr. Donini worked with ESSA Pharma Inc. as Vice President Research and Development. From 2004 to 2012, Dr. Donini worked with Inimex Pharmaceuticals Inc., (“Inimex”), lastly as Senior Director of Preclinical R&D from 2007-2013. Prior to joining Inimex, she worked with Kinetek Pharmaceuticals Inc., developing therapies for infectious disease, cancer and cancer supportive care. Dr. Donini is a co-inventor and leader of the Company’s SGX94 innate defense regulator technology, developed by Inimex and subsequently acquired by the Company. She was responsible for overseeing the manufacturing and preclinical testing of SGX94, which demonstrated efficacy in combating bacterial infections and mitigating the effects of tissue damage due to trauma, infection, radiation and/or chemotherapy treatment. These preclinical studies resulted in a successful Phase 1 clinical study and clearance of Phase 2 protocols for oral mucositis in head and neck cancer and acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections. While with ESSA Pharma Inc. as the Vice President of Research and Development, Dr. Donini led the preclinical testing of a novel N-terminal domain inhibitor of the androgen receptor for the treatment of prostate cancer. While with Kinetek Pharmaceuticals Inc., her work related to the discovery of novel kinase and phosphatase inhibitors for the treatment of cancer. Dr. Donini received her Ph.D. from Queen's University in Kinston, Ontario, Canada and completed her post-doctoral work at the University of California, San Francisco. Her research has spanned drug discovery, preclinical development, manufacturing and clinical development in infectious disease, cancer and cancer supportive care.

 

Item 9.01.      Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d)   Exhibits.

 

Exhibit No.   Description
     
99.1   Press release issued by Soligenix, Inc. on December 10, 2014.

 

2
 

  

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

 

Soligenix, Inc.

   
 December 10, 2014  By: /s/ Christopher J. Schaber
   

Christopher J. Schaber, Ph.D.

President and Chief Executive Officer

(Principal Executive Officer)

 

3
 

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit No.   Description
     
99.1   Press release issued by Soligenix, Inc. on December 10, 2014.

 

 

4