UPDATE: Galecto Hosting Expert Perspective Panel on the Evolving Treatment Landscape for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and Potential for GB0139

BOSTON, March 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Galecto, Inc. (NASDAQ: GLTO), a biotechnology company focused on the development of novel treatments for fibrosis and cancer, today announced it will host an expert perspectives panel on the evolving treatment landscape for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and the potential for GB0139 on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at 2pm Eastern Time.

The webinar will feature a presentation by Key Opinion Leader (KOL) Toby Maher, MD, University of Southern California, who will discuss the current treatment landscape and unmet medical need in treating patients with IPF, as well as the clinical meaning of the exciting biomarker data on GB0139 recently published in the European Respiratory Journal, which showed marked impact on several IPF biomarkers. GB0139 is Galecto’s inhalable, once-daily treatment for IPF, the most advanced treatment in development for IPF, in phase 2b trial with results expected in 2022.

Galecto Chief Executive Officer Hans Schambye will also give an update on GB0139 following the phase 2b trial modification and be available for questions with Bertil Lindmark, Galecto’s Chief Medical Officer, Tariq Sethi, Galecto Co-founder and Professor Emeritus, King’s College London, and Dr. Maher following the formal presentations.

To register for the webinar, please click . A replay will be archived for 30 days after the webinar.

Professor Toby Maher is Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. Additionally, Prof Maher is British Lung Foundation Chair in Respiratory Research and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinician Scientist. He is Professor of Interstitial Lung Disease and heads up the Fibrosis Research Group at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London. He is also an honorary Consultant Respiratory Physician on the Interstitial Lung Disease Unit, Royal Brompton Hospital and is Director of the NIHR Respiratory CRF and Director of Respiratory Research at Royal Brompton Hospital.

His research interests include: biomarker discovery, the lung microbiome and host immune response in the pathogenesis of IPF and clinical trials in interstitial lung disease. He has been involved in >50 trials in fibrotic lung disease from phase 1b through to phase 4 and including those assessing IPF, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory myositis. Overall, he has recruited >1000 patients into interventional studies. He has given expert opinion to FDA and EMA.

He is an associate editor for American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and is on the international advisory board for Lancet Respiratory Medicine. He has authored over 260 papers and book chapters on pulmonary fibrosis.

About Galecto

Galecto (NASDAQ: GLTO) is a clinical stage biotechnology company incorporated in the U.S. with advanced programs in fibrosis and cancer centered on the development of small-molecule inhibitors of galectin-3 and lysyl oxidase-like 2, or LOXL2, which play key roles in regulating fibrosis. The company’s pipeline includes our lead product candidate, which is an inhaled galectin-3 modulator currently in phase 2b for the potential treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Our pipeline also includes two additional assets about to move into phase 2 studies.

Galecto intends to use its website as a means of disclosing material non-public information. For regular updates about Galecto, visit .

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements include statements about the Phase 2b clinical trial for GB0139, including plans for modification of such trial and the expected date of results, Galecto’s focus and commitment, GB0139’s potential, plans for clinical development (including the timing of their initiation) and potential to market, and Galecto’s product candidates and pipeline. The words “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “continue,” “target” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. For such statements, Galecto claims the protection of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual events or results may differ materially from Galecto's expectations. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties related to the development of Galecto’s product candidates, their therapeutic potential and outcomes related to our clinical trials, our ability to modify the GALACTIC-1 trial protocol to the satisfaction of the FDA or other regulatory agencies, our ability to continue to enroll patients and complete the GALACTIC-1 trial with fewer dosage groups, the risk that FDA or other regulatory agency imposes a clinical hold on the GALACTIC-1 trial, having adequate funds and their use, and those additional risks and uncertainties disclosed in Galecto’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements represent Galecto's judgment as of the time of this release. Galecto disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as may be required under applicable law.

For more information, contact: