Internationally recognized leader in
neurodegenerative diseases to advise on programs
selectively targeting the toxic oligomer
TORONTO and CAMBRIDGE, MA, June 19,
2019 /PRNewswire/ - ProMIS Neurosciences, Inc. (TSX:
PMN) (OTCQB: ARFXF), a biotechnology company focused on the
discovery and development of antibody therapeutics targeting toxic
oligomers implicated in the development of neurodegenerative
diseases, welcomed Warren Olanow,
MD, FRCPC, FAAN, FRCP(Hon) to its scientific advisory board (SAB).
Dr. Olanow has dedicated his career to the study of
neurodegeneration, particularly Parkinson's disease, through his
award-winning work in academia, scientific research, clinical
trials and professional societies. As a member of the SAB, Dr.
Olanow will work with other distinguished members of the board to
guide development of the Company's programs in Parkinson's and
Alzheimer's diseases and ALS, all of which focus on selective
targeting of the toxic oligomer of misfolded proteins, a shared
root cause.
"Dr. Olanow brings to our Scientific Advisory Board deep
knowledge and expertise in neurodegeneration, with special focus on
movement disorders and Parkinson's disease," said Dr. Neil Cashman, Chief Scientific Officer of ProMIS
Neurosciences. "We're extremely lucky to have such an accomplished,
committed group of advisory board members to help guide our work
toward long awaited, effective treatment for these brain wasting
diseases. We welcome Dr. Olanow and look forward to working with
him."
C. Warren Olanow has authored
more than 300 publications primarily related to Parkinson's disease
and neurodegeneration. He is the previous Henry P. and Georgette
Goldschmidt Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurology
at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, and is presently Professor
Emeritus in the Department of Neurology and in the Department of
Neuroscience. He also serves as Chief Executive Officer of
CLINTREX, a pharmaceutical advisory firm that has designed numerous
clinical trials in neurodegenerative disease for the pharmaceutical
industry. He is the Past President of the Movement Disorder
Society, Past President of the International Society of Motor
Disturbances, and Past Treasurer of the American Neurological
Association. He is an honorary professor at University College
London (Royal Free Hospital), an honorary member of the French
Neurological Society, and an honorary Fellow of the Royal College
of Physicians in the United
Kingdom. He is the recipient of the 2013 research award in
movement disorders of the American Academy of Neurology, the
Presidential Award of the Movement Disorder Society, the Lifetime
Achievement award of the International Parkinson Disease and
Movement Disorder Society and is the previous editor-in-chief of
the journal Movement Disorders. His research interests focus on the
etiology and pathogenesis of neurodegeneration and experimental
therapeutics. Dr. Olanow received his medical degree from the
University of Toronto and performed his
neurology training at the New York Neurological Institute at
Columbia University.
Commenting on the appointment, Dr. Olanow stated: "I have
focused my professional career on the study of neurodegenerative
diseases, in particular movement disorders such as Parkinson's
disease. I am delighted to join the SAB and look forward to
advising ProMIS Neurosciences as the Company progresses its
innovative approach developing antibodies selectively targeting
the toxic, prion-like oligomers of the alpha synuclein protein
that are a root cause of Parkinson's disease."
The ProMIS SAB brings together a multidisciplinary group of
renowned specialists in neurodegenerative disease along with
experts in neurotoxic, prion-like misfolded proteins. In addition
to Dr. Olanow, the current members of the Company's SAB
include:
- Neil R. Cashman, M.D is Chief
Science Officer at ProMIS Neurosciences and Professor of Medicine
at the University of British Columbia
(UBC), where he holds the Canada Research Chair in
Neurodegeneration and Protein Misfolding Diseases and serves as the
Director of the UBC ALS Centre. Dr. Cashman is recognized as a
pioneer in the field of prion-like misfolded proteins and their
role in development of neurodegenerative diseases, in particular
ALS and AD. Neil Cashman is co-chair
of the SAB;
- Sharon Cohen, M.D is a trained
behavioral neurologist and former speech language pathologist. Her
memory clinic and dementia clinical trials program at the Toronto
Memory Programme are the largest and most active in Canada and have contributed substantially to
patient care and to global clinical trial cohorts. Through her
commitment to knowledge translation and her passion for clinically
meaningful outcomes, Dr. Cohen provides a valuable perspective
which places the patient at the center of Alzheimer's drug
development programs.
- Todd E. Golde, M.D, Ph.D is
Director of the Center for Translational Research in
Neurodegenerative Disease at the University of
Florida where he directs a robust program of scientific
discovery aimed at translating basic discoveries in
neurodegenerative disease into diagnostics and treatments for
patients. Dr. Golde is co-chair of the SAB;
- William C. Mobley, M.D, Ph.D is
Associate Dean for Neurosciences Initiatives, Distinguished
Professor of Neurosciences, Florence Riford Chair for Alzheimer
Disease at the University of California, San
Diego (UCSD), and the university's Executive Director of
the Down Syndrome Center for Research and Treatment. Dr.
Mobley's research focuses on the neurobiology of neuronal
dysfunction in developmental and age-related disorders of the
nervous system.
- Rudolph E. Tanzi, PhD., is a
neuroscientist and geneticist with scientific expertise in
Alzheimer's disease and brain health. He serves as Vice-Chair of
Neurology, Director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit, and as
a Director of the Henry and Allison McCance Center for Brain Health
at Massachusetts General Hospital. He
is also the Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Neurology at
Harvard Medical School.
- Lary C. Walker, Ph.D is Associate
Professor of Neurology and Research Professor at Emory University Yerkes National Primate Research
Center. Dr. Walker's research has been
directed toward understanding the mechanisms by which the
Alzheimer-associated proteins amyloid beta and tau form pathogenic
assemblies in vivo and how these agents spread in the
brain;
Neurodegenerative diseases are a result of misfolded proteins.
When proteins misfold, they can aggregate, forming small clumps of
toxic oligomers that kill neurons leading to disease. Using its
novel drug discovery engine, ProMIS can uniquely and selectively
target the toxic oligomer, filling a critical gap for drug
developers: traditional approaches to developing antibodies are
unable to isolate and target the toxic oligomer with adequate
precision. The company's Alzheimer's disease program includes
antibody candidates that offer targeting of the toxic oligomers of
tau and amyloid beta, currently one of the most promising areas of
therapy development in Alzheimer's disease. The Company's
Parkinson's disease program includes several potential antibody
therapeutic candidates aimed at selectively targeting toxic
oligomers of the protein alpha synuclein, considered a root cause
of Parkinson's disease. ProMIS has also identified antibody
candidates that selectively target toxic oligomers of the protein
TDP43, considered a root cause of ALS.
About ProMIS Neurosciences
ProMIS Neurosciences, Inc.
is a development stage biotechnology company focused on discovering
and developing antibody therapeutics selectively targeting toxic
oligomers implicated in the development and progression of
neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimer's disease (AD),
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson's disease (PD).
The Company's proprietary target discovery platform is based on the
use of two complementary thermodynamic, computational discovery
engines -ProMIS and Collective Coordinates – to predict novel
targets known as Disease Specific Epitopes on the molecular surface
of misfolded proteins. Using this unique precision approach, the
Company is developing novel antibody therapeutics for AD, ALS and
PD. ProMIS is headquartered in Toronto,
Ontario, with offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ProMIS is listed on
the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol PMN, and on the OTCQB
Venture Market under the symbol ARFXF.
Visit us at www.promisneurosciences.com or follow us
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other factors that may cause actual results, performance or
achievements to be materially different from those implied by
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forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current
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to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which
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