NeuroMedix Creates Medical And Scientific Advisory Board Of Distinguished Academic And Drug Development Experts To Guide Development Of Minozac For Alzheimer’s Disease
Drs. D. Martin Watterson, Steven T. DeKosky, Linda J. Van Eldik and Kevin L. Keim to join
TORONTO, Ontario – September 27, 2006: NeuroMedix Inc. (“NeuroMedix”) (TSXV: NMX) today announced that it has created a Medical and Scientific Advisory Board (“MSAB”) panel of experts to help guide the clinical development of Minozac, its lead compound for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
“We are very pleased to have been able to create an MSAB with such extensive experience in Alzheimer’s drug development specifically and the discovery and development of CNS therapeutics broadly”, said Dr. Mark L. Pearson, Chief Executive Officer of NeuroMedix, “Having this knowledge base to draw on is critical for NeuroMedix success as we prepare for our Phase I clinical trials.”
Dr. D. Martin Watterson, a member of NeuroMedix’s board of directors, will chair the MSAB. Dr. Watterson is Co-Director of the Center for Drug Discovery and Chemical Biology and holds the endowed John G. Searle Chair in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Northwestern University. Dr. Watterson is a Professor of Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry at the Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. Dr. Watterson serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation and on various peer review committees for the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”), USA, in the areas of drug discovery, computational biology and medicinal chemistry. He received his Ph.D. from Emory University in 1975, with specialization in the fields of biophysical chemistry and biochemical pharmacology, and was the recipient of a National Research Service Award in Neurosciences for post-doctoral studies at Duke University Medical Center from 1975 to 1977.
Dr. Steven T. DeKosky has been appointed to the MSAB. Dr. DeKosky is Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurology, and Director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. DeKosky is a member of the Board of Directors of the Alzheimer’s Association and he chairs the Professional Advisory Board of the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Dr. DeKosky has served on numerous advisory boards at the NIH and currently serves on the United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee. Dr. DeKosky has been an Examiner in Neurology for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (“ABPN”) for over 15 years, served as a member of the ABPN (Written) Examination Committee for 10 years, and as a member of the ABPN Recertification Committee. In 2003, he was elected to the Neurology Council of the ABPN; he is one of the 8 neurologists who oversee Board certification for neurologists in the United States. Dr. DeKosky has received a Teacher Investigator Development Award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (“NINDS”), the Presidential Award of the American Neurological Association, and is listed in “The Best Doctors in America.” He won the Rita Hayworth Award from the Alzheimer’s Association in 2003 for research contributions to Alzheimer’s disease. In 2005, he received the Ronald and Nancy Reagan Institute Award for his contributions to clinical, research and advocacy on behalf of people with Alzheimer’s disease and their families. Dr. DeKosky received his undergraduate degree from Bucknell University, and is a graduate of the University of Florida College of Medicine. He interned in Internal Medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, did his Neurology residency at the University of Florida, and was awarded an NIH postdoctoral fellowship in Neurochemistry at the University of Virginia. Dr. DeKosky has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters.
Dr. Linda J. Van Eldik has also been appointed to the MSAB. Dr. Van Eldik is Co-Director of the Center for Drug Discovery and Chemical Biology, Associate Director of the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center, and Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology at Northwestern University in Chicago. She is also a member of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Council of the Alzheimer’s Association, and the Scientific Advisory Board of the Institute for the Study of Aging/Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation. Dr. Van Eldik received her Ph.D. in Microbiology/Immunology in 1977 from Duke University, and was a postdoctoral fellow in Virology and Cell Biology at Rockefeller University from 1978 to 1981.
Dr. Kevin L. Keim has also been appointed to the MSAB. Dr. Keim is a classically-trained bench physiologist - pharmacologist with 23 years of research and discovery experience in major U.S. pharma, 9 years of very active exposure in the world’s largest contract research organization (“CRO”) focused on global CNS drug asset equity and strategic development, and nearly 7 years in a start-up, venture-backed specialty pharma company. Dr. Keim is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Vela Pharmaceuticals Inc., a privately held company, specializing in the “rediscovery” and development of medicines to treat diseases associated with the nervous system, and is Founder and Managing Principal of K.L.Keim Consulting Group, LLC, an entrepreneurial consulting venture offering the blend of scientific art and reality of strategic drug development and regulatory and registration planning. Dr. Keim received his Ph.D. from New York University in 1978 and is a Board Director of the American Society of Experimental NeuroTherapeutics (“ASENT”).
About NeuroMedix:
NeuroMedix is a biotechnology company focused on the development of therapeutic agents for the treatment of degenerative and inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system, such as Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, neuropathic pain, age-related macular degeneration and multiple sclerosis. Our therapeutic drug candidates are based on research from a team of leading experts in the field of neuroinflammation at Northwestern University and have been demonstrated to reduce brain inflammation, to protect neuronal cells, and to prevent the loss of cognitive function in an Alzheimer’s disease animal model in mice. Our lead candidate, Minozac has also been shown to reduce inflammation and prevent loss of cognitive function in mice suffering traumatic brain injury. Based on these findings, NeuroMedix is pursuing the development of its lead compound for Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury in humans. NeuroMedix’s shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol “NMX”.
For further information visit www.neuromedixinc.com [1] or contact:
Mark Pearson, PhD.
Chief Executive Officer
NeuroMedix Inc.
425-503-5156
mark@neuromedixinc.com [2]
or
Catherine Auld, CA
Chief Financial Officer
NeuroMedix Inc.
416-673-8190
cathy@neuromedixinc.com [3]
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Except for historical information, this press release may contain forward-looking statements, which reflect the Company’s current expectation regarding future events. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which may include but are not limited to, changing market conditions, the successful and timely completion of clinical studies, the establishment of corporate alliances, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company’s ongoing quarterly and annual reporting.