ProMIS™ Neurosciences Forms Prestigious Scientific Advisory and Business Advisory Boards

ProMIS Neurosciences announced the formation of its two key advisory boards to accelerate company development. ProMIS’ first products will focus on more effective treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). ProMIS Neurosciences is currently in the process of identifying and validating epitopes specific to misfolded, propagating strains of Amyloid beta involved in Alzheimer’s disease.
According to the press release:

Scientific Advisory Board (SAB)
The ProMis SAB brings together a multidisciplinary group of specialists in Alzheimer’s and neurodegenerative disease along with experts in toxic, prion-like misfolded proteins. The current members of the Company’s SAB are:

• Todd E. Golde, MD, PhD, 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;
• Neil R. Cashman, MD, is Chief Science Officer at ProMIS Neurosciences and Professor of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, 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;
• Lary C. Walker, PhD, is Associate Professor of Neurology and Research Professor at Emory University Yerkes National Primate Research Center. Lary 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.

Business Advisory Board

The ProMIS Business Advisory Board brings together recognized leaders in the fields of biotech business management, diagnostic product development and monoclonal antibody design and manufacture. The current members of the business advisory board are:

• Mara G. Aspinall, MBA, is a diagnostic industry pioneer. She is Executive Chairman of GenePeeks, a company leading a paradigm shift at the intersection of personalized medicine and computational genomics with genetic testing. Mara is the former President and CEO of Ventana Medical Systems, a division of Roche Group, a worldwide leader in the development and commercialization of tissue-based cancer diagnostics;
• Nigel Burns, PhD, has over 20 years’ experience in the biotech sector, in particular in the field of monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of chronic disease. Nigel has has held a series of industry leadership roles including Senior Vice President of Cambridge Antibody Technology, and most recently, CEO and Founder of Sweet Spot Therapeutics Ltd. Nigel was entrepreneur-in-residence for Imperial Innovations and has served on multiple national and international scientific and industry advisory boards and committees;
• Michael Higgins, MBA, is currently an entrepreneur-in-residence at Polaris Partners, and a Director of Voyager Therapeutics.   Previously, he was COO and CFO at Ironwood, which he helped take public in 2010. Prior to Ironwood Mr. Higgins held a variety of leadership roles at Genzyme, including Vice President of Corporate Finance and Vice President of Business Development, and was involved with multiple business units, including Cell Therapy, Gene Therapy and Orphan Diseases.

Click here to view the full press release.