STEVENAGE, United Kingdom, March 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NRG Therapeutics, Ltd., an innovative neuroscience company targeting mitochondrial dysfunction, is pleased to announce the formation of its scientific advisory board (SAB), to support and steer its R&D programmes to develop novel small molecule therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.
The four founding members of NRG’s International SAB are US-based and bring in-depth translational expertise in neuroscience and drug discovery across chemistry, biology and pharmacology disciplines. The SAB will be chaired by Dr James Summers, who has been an advisor to NRG since its inception, joined by Dr Melanie Leitner, Dr Kalpana Merchant and Dr Stevan Djuric.
NRG Therapeutics is applying breakthrough science in the field of mitochondrial biology to develop first-in-class treatments for Parkinson’s, ALS (also known as motor neurone disease) and other neurodegenerative disorders. Its approach is based on inhibiting the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) in brain cells through a novel mechanism of action, which has been shown to be neuroprotective in preclinical models.
Welcoming the new SAB members, Dr Richard Rutter, NRG Therapeutics co-founder and CSO said, “The breadth and depth of experience that Jim, Melanie, Kalpana and Stevan bring will be invaluable to our company as we progress toward the clinic. Developing life extending and life changing treatments for neurological disorders is challenging and we welcome their insights gained over decades in pharma, biotech, academic and not-for-profit organizations.”
James Summers Ph.D. – chair of SAB
A medicinal chemist, Jim has more than three decades of research management and drug discovery experience in neurodegeneration and other therapeutic areas. Under his leadership, as Vice President of Neuroscience Research, teams at AbbVie / Abbott have advanced more than twenty compounds into clinical development. Jim has established new research sites in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Shanghai, China, has been the architect of strategies that defined the future direction of global research organizations, and has championed multiple successful licensing deals, biotech collaborations and venture investments. He currently serves on the board of directors and as an advisor to several biotechnology companies including Mission Therapeutics and Nitrase Therapeutics and is a venture partner with the Dementia Discovery Fund. He was awarded his Ph.D. in chemistry from Harvard University.
Melanie Leitner Ph.D.
Melanie has over 20 years cross-functional experience in the academic, government, industry, and non-profit sectors, specializing in the neuroscience sector with particular expertise in ALS. She currently serves as the Chief Scientific Officer for the ALS Investment Fund (a life sciences VC) and is the Founder of Accelerating NeuroVentures, LLC. Prior to joining the ALS Investment Fund, Dr. Leitner was an advisor to Target ALS and served as Chief Scientific Officer for the ALS non-profit Prize4Life. She has also held Director positions at Biogen and at the non-profit organizations FasterCures and the Society for Neuroscience. She is a Board observer on the Boards of Verge Genomics, QurAlis, and Bloom Science. Melanie was awarded a Howard Hughes Predoctoral Fellowship as well as her Ph.D. in neuroscience from Washington University in St. Louis.