Significant appointments of industry and academic experts to support Phase II development of ASN51 in Alzheimer’s Disease
Asceneuron SA, a clinical stage biotech company dedicated to targeting the root causes of neurodegenerative diseases, today announces the appointments of neurodegenerative disease experts to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). These include Dr Samantha Budd-Haeberlein, PhD, Henrik Zetterberg, MD, PhD, Rik Ossenkoppele, PhD, and Chris van Dyck, MD.
Asceneuron is advancing development of its lead asset ASN51, a best-in-class, orally delivered, OGA inhibitor targeting tau aggregation in Alzheimer’s Disease into Phase II clinical development. The Scientific Advisory Board have vast experience in clinical trial design and biomarkers.
ASN51 has demonstrated its potential as a pathbreaker in pausing disease progression in neurodegenerative diseases, with a safe and well tolerated profile. In the field of neurodegenerative disease, ASN51 has the potential to change the treatment paradigm for patients when it commences a Phase II clinical trial in the second half of 2024.
Ryan Schubert, Senior Vice President Research and Development at Asceneuron, said:
There is strong momentum in the Alzheimer’s disease field, driven by recent progress and developments. This is an exciting stage for Asceneuron as tau is now clinically validated as a target and our once daily, orally administered anti-tau O-GlcNAcase inhibitor, ASN51, has the potential to be best in class based on its unique pharmacology. I am honored to have these stellar neurodegenerative experts join our SAB at a fundamental time of development. Their deep knowledge and expertise will be invaluable as we move ASN51 into Phase II development.
Dr Samantha Budd Haeberlein, PhD, is an esteemed figure in neurological drug development with international experience at research and executive level in the discovery and development of therapeutics and biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases. She was previously Senior Vice President and Head of Neurodegeneration at Biogen, where she led and co-led the development of two FDA approved treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, ADUHELM and LEQEMBI. Samantha currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer at Enigma Biomedical Group, developing solutions for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, is on the Board of Directors at Vigil Neuro and is a Senior Advisor to the ICG Life Sciences Investment team.
Henrik Zetterberg, MD, PhD, is a decorated researcher in the field of neurodegenerative diseases. Henrik is a Professor of Neurochemistry at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and University College London (UCL), UK, and a Clinical Chemist at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden. He is Head of Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry at the University of Gothenburg, leads the UK DRI Fluid Biomarker Laboratory at UCL, and is a Key Member of the Hong Kong Center for neurodegenerative diseases. He is also a Visiting Professor in the UW Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin. Henrik has developed and researched new diagnostic tests and new preclinical models for Alzheimer’s disease and has been recognised for his influential discoveries as a recipient of numerous prizes such as the Erik K. Fernström Prize for Junior Scientists and the Inga Sandeborg Prize for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease.
Rik Ossenkoppele, PhD, is a renowned academic in neuroscience, working on the intersection of neuroimaging, biomarkers, and cognition in Alzheimer’s disease. Rik is an Associate Professor in Translational Neuroscience and Principal Investigator at the Alzheimer center Amsterdam of the Amsterdam UMC and at Lund University in Sweden. In 2019 Rik received the European Grand Prix for Research on the Foundation of Alzheimer’s Disease, and the Young Investigator Research award from Alzheimer Nederland and Queen Silvia Research prize in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Christopher van Dyck, MD, is a leading clinical researcher focusing on neuroimaging and therapeutic studies of Alzheimer’s disease and brain aging. He is a Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neuroscience and serves as Director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Unit, the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, and the Division of Aging and Geriatric Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. Alongside his academic positions, Christopher has extensive experience in leading and participating in more than 100 therapeutic trials in Alzheimer’s disease, which include prodromal/ preclinical and brain aging stages. He serves on the Steering and Executive Committee and Co-Chairs the Protocol Evaluation Committee at the Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC). His extensive research has culminated in the lead authorship of the publication of the first disease-modifying treatment for AD (lecanemab) in 2023.
