Initial appointments include global experts in cannabinoid and drug discovery science
SAN DIEGO, CA, Dec. 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals Inc. (EHP), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing medicines based on cannabinoid science, today announced the appointment of three respected scientific innovators and leaders to its newly formed scientific advisory board (“SAB”): Eduardo Muñoz, MD, PhD, who will preside as Chairman, Giovanni Appendino, PhD and Rao Movva, PhD. The SAB will provide strategic direction for the company’s research, scientific, and development activities for its two drug candidates: EHP-101 (derived from cannabidiol [“CBD”]) to treat multiple sclerosis and scleroderma, and EHP-102 (derived from cannabigerol [“CBG”]) to treat Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
“We are honored to welcome Drs. Muñoz, Appendino and Movva to our new scientific advisory board as we advance our scientific research and understanding of cannabinoid-based medicines, said Jim DeMesa, MD, Chief Executive Officer of EHP. “As globally recognized scientific leaders, their deep expertise will help guide the development of potentially transformative therapies for diseases with great unmet needs as they work closely with our world-class clinical advisory boards to help bring these treatments to patients”.
Dr. Muñoz has been conducting cannabinoid research for over 15 years and is an expert in the study of the mechanism of actions of cannabinoids, as well the development of cannabinoid-based new chemical entities. He is EHP’s Chief Scientific Officer and is a co-founder of two biotech companies. He is also a member of the scientific advisory boards at Emerald Health Therapeutics and Aphios Corporation. As Professor of Immunology in the Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology department at the University of Córdoba, he has more than 25 years of experience in biomedical research and has managed 20 national and international research projects as a principal investigator. Dr. Muñoz has authored numerous patents and 145 articles in international scientific journals and belongs to the editorial board of several scientific publications.
Dr. Appendino has studied cannabis and cannabinoids for more than 15 years and is regarded by the global scientific community as one of the world’s most influential thought leaders in cannabinoid research. He is Director of Research and Development at Indena SpA and Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Eastern Piedmont in Italy. Dr. Appendino was the local coordinator of three European research programs. His research on natural products chemistry focuses on medium-sized cyclic compounds such as cannabinoids. He also serves as Editor in Chief of the scientific journal Fitoterapia and belongs to the publishing advisory board of several journals for organic chemistry and natural products. Dr. Appendino has authored more than 250 articles and 10 book chapters and holds six patents (four related to cannabinoids). He received his Laurea (PhD) at the University of Turin in Italy.
Dr. Movva brings broad experience from the biotech and large pharmaceutical industry, having worked since the very early years of biotechnology at Biogen and at Novartis as Executive Director. Dr. Movva and his collaborators have uncovered the mechanism of action of many natural compounds to advance them as leads for drug discovery. Dr. Movva was recognized in 2012 as a Novartis Distinguished Scientist for his significant contributions to drug discovery. Dr. Movva had initiated and pioneered the chemical biology efforts that led to the discovery and the understanding of the biological targets of rapamycin, the TOR pathways, in collaboration with Drs. Joseph Heitman and Mike Hall at Biozentrum, Basel. This significant milestone lead to advancing the currently marketed drugs and highlighted novel therapeutic opportunities that are actively pursued by many biotech companies. Dr. Movva received his PhD in Molecular Biology from SUNY at Stony Brook, New York.
About Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals is developing product candidates derived from cannabinoids for the treatment of CNS, autoimmune, and other diseases. The Company has two families of new chemical entities, which are derivatives of cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG), that it has modified through rational drug design to affect validated receptors pertinent to targeted diseases. Its first drug candidate, EHP-101, is in Phase I clinical development for treating multiple sclerosis and scleroderma. Its second, EHP-102, is focused on treating Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
For more information, visit www.emeraldpharma.life or contact: info@emeraldpharma.life.
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