WALNUT CREEK, Calif., Jan. 13, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Neurocentria, Inc., a privately held late-stage biotechnology company developing novel therapies for neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders, has today announced that Dr. Thomas Südhof, Avram Goldstein Professor in Stanford University School of Medicine and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, has joined the company's Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).
Dr. Südhof's appointment further strengthens the company's scientific resources, in line with the commitment to develop unique therapies for individuals with neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Dr. Südhof will become the SAB's third expert advisor alongside Dr. Jack Feldman, Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Dr. Thomas Laughren, Former Director of the Division of Psychiatry Products, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
On joining the SAB, Dr. Südhof will support the Company's leadership in its oversight and scrutiny of the Company's research and clinical development strategies. The SAB provides general technical guidance, particularly in relation to potential research and clinical development-related transactions.
Dr. Südhof brings unique experience in the field of neuronal function and synaptic transmission, which are central to Neurocentria's approach for developing novel therapies for neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. Dr. Südhof won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (shared with James Rothman and Randy Sheckman) in 2013 for his discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic, a major transport system in our cells, a mechanism critical for synaptic transmission. He also brings extensive experience in business strategy through his roles as a member of the Board of Directors at Sanofi S.A., one of the world's largest pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, and an Independent Director of CytoDel Inc.
Commenting on the appointment, Dr. Guosong Liu, Chairman and CEO of Neurocentria, said: "I am delighted to welcome Tom to Neurocentria. Our current leading drug candidate was designed based on scientific discoveries related to fundamental synaptic physiology. Tom's expertise in synaptic structure and its function means he is perfectly placed to provide the insight and challenge we need as Neurocentria moves further into developing next-generation medicines for treating neurological disorders."
Biography
Dr. Südhof began his independent career in 1986 at UT Southwestern, where he stayed until 2008 and, among others, was the founding chair of the Department of Neuroscience. In 2008, Dr. Südhof moved to Stanford University and became the Avram Goldstein Professor in the School of Medicine. In addition, Dr. Südhof has been an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute since 1986.
Prior to becoming a neuroscientist, Dr. Südhof was trained in the biophysics of subcellular organelles at the Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie and in cholesterol metabolism at UT Southwestern. When Dr. Südhof started his laboratory, he decided to switch to neuroscience to study synapses because of their central, as yet incompletely understood role in brain function. Dr. Südhof's work initially focused on the mechanism of neurotransmitter release, which is the first step in synaptic transmission that accounts for the speed and precision of information transfer in the brain. It was for this work that Dr. Südhof was awarded in 2013 the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award (with Richard Scheller) and the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (with James Rothman and Randy Schekman). In the last decade, Dr. Südhof's research emphasis has switched to focus on a different unsolved problem in neuroscience that regards synapses, namely how synapses are established specifically between defined pre- and postsynaptic neurons, and how such connections are endowed with specific properties by these neurons. Addressing this fundamental question is essential for understanding how circuits are wired and how they process information, but the basic rules that govern synapse formation and specification are only now beginning to emerge. Elucidating these rules is the goal of Dr. Südhof's present work.
About Neurocentria
Neurocentria is a late-stage biotechnology company dedicated to discovering and developing novel treatments for neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. For further information, please visit www.neurocentria.com/about.
Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements
This release contains "forward-looking statements" made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are typically preceded by words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "will," "may," "should," or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements reflect management's current knowledge, assumptions, judgment and expectations regarding future performance or events. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such statements are reasonable, they give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct or that those goals will be achieved, and you should be aware that actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, our ability to successfully complete research and further development and commercialization of our drug candidates, including NRCT-101SR, in current or future indications; the uncertainties inherent in clinical testing and accruing patients for clinical trials; the effects of the outbreak of COVID-19 on our business and results of operations; the availability, cost, delivery and quality of clinical materials produced by our own manufacturing facility or supplied by contract manufacturers, who may be our sole source of supply; the timing, cost and uncertainty of obtaining regulatory approvals; the failure of the market for our programs to continue to develop; our ability to protect our intellectual property; the loss of any executive officers or key personnel or consultants; competition; changes in the regulatory landscape or the imposition of regulations that affect our products; our ability to continue to obtain capital to meet our long-term liquidity needs on acceptable terms, or at all, including the additional capital which will be necessary to complete the clinical trials that we have initiated or plan to initiate.
All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary notice. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. We have no obligation, and expressly disclaim any obligation, to update, revise or correct any of the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contact Information:
Guy Bar-Klein
Director of Research
gbar-klein@neurocentria.com
+1 (925) 954-4868
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