URBANDALE, Iowa, June 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Spotlight Innovation Inc. (OTCQB: STLT) today announced that the Company has entered into a Sponsored Research Agreement with Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) to support research directed by Kevin Hodgetts, Ph.D., aimed at developing safe and effective drugs to treat patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

Professor Hodgetts is a member of Spotlight Innovation's Scientific Advisory Board and a co-inventor of STL-182, the Company's lead product candidate for SMA. He is the head of Medicinal Chemistry and Director of the Laboratory for Drug Discovery in Neurodegeneration (LDDN) at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. Prof. Hodgetts is also the Founder and co-Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of Klogene Therapeutics, Inc., and has a broad background in organic and medicinal chemistry with experience in both industrial and academic drug discovery. He has over 15 years of experience working on treatments for diseases of the central nervous system. Prof. Hodgetts joined the LDDN in September 2012 to work with the academic community to design new and innovative strategies for drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases.

Geoffrey Laff, Ph.D., Spotlight Innovation's Senior Vice President of Business Development, commented, "Professor Hodgetts is an accomplished medicinal chemist and a pioneer in the synthesis of novel compounds with the potential to treat SMA. We are thrilled that he has chosen to collaborate with us to develop treatments for this devastating illness."

About Spotlight Innovation Inc.

Spotlight Innovation Inc. (OTCQB: STLT) identifies and acquires rights to innovative, proprietary technologies designed to address unmet medical needs, with an emphasis on rare, emerging and neglected diseases. To find and evaluate unique opportunities, we leverage our extensive relationships with leading scientists, academic institutions and other sources. We provide value-added development capability to accelerate development progress. When scientifically significant benchmarks have been achieved, we will endeavor to partner with proven market leaders via sale, out-license or strategic alliance. For more information, visit www.spotlightinnovation.com or follow us on www.twitter.com/spotlightinno.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements herein include statements regarding Spotlight Innovation's efforts to develop and commercialize various product candidates, including STL-182, and to achieve its stated benchmarks. Actual outcomes and actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include risks and uncertainties, such as: the inability to finance the planned development of STL-182; the inability to hire appropriate staff to develop STL-182; unforeseen technical difficulties in developing STL-182; the inability to obtain regulatory approval for human use; competitors' therapies proving to be more effective, cheaper or otherwise more preferable; or, the inability to market a product. All of which could, among other things, delay or prevent product release, as well as other factors expressed from time to time in Spotlight Innovation's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). As a result, this press release should be read in conjunction with Spotlight Innovation's periodic filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained herein are made only as of the date of this press release and Spotlight Innovation undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

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SOURCE Spotlight Innovation Inc.