MARTINSRIED, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Origenis GmbH, a German biotech company specializing in the discovery and development of highly selective small molecule kinase inhibitors for CNS disorders, today announced the appointment of Dr. Peter Seufer-Wasserthal as Chief Business Officer.
Dr. Seufer-Wasserthal brings 25 years experience in technology oriented business development to the company. Prior to joining Origenis, he served as Vice President Business Development at Intrexon Corporation (NYSE: XON) and before that held several senior executive and business development positions at Codexis, Inc., (NASDAQ: CDXS), where he closed numerous licensing, research and supply agreements. Before Codexis, Dr. Seufer-Wasserthal managed a broad range of drug discovery collaborations, licensed pre-clinical candidates to Pharma partners and directed several drug development projects in the position of Senior Vice President of Business Development at Morphochem and Evotec. He holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the Technical University of Graz.
Origenis´ CEO Michael Almstetter welcomed Dr. Seufer-Wasserthal: “We are excited to have Peter join at this stage of our growth. Beyond our focus on highly selective small molecule kinase inhibitors for CNS disorders, Origenis has developed a comprehensive set of non-CNS and ophthalmological assets that are validated by several Pharma partnerships and have the potential to significantly contribute to the company's top line. Peter will lead Origenis´ business activities and grow our relationships in the pharmaceutical market to establish additional collaborations with leading companies in the field. I am confident that his deep industry insight and proven closing capabilities will be a tremendous asset to Origenis.”
Notes
Origenis GmbH (www.origenis.com) is a privately-held German biopharmaceutical company developing brain-penetrating highly selective small molecule medicines and diagnostics for a variety of neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases.
Origenis leverages its unique capabilities in drug design, compound synthesis and characterization to engineer a continuous stream of proprietary IP-protected new chemical entities capable of permeating the blood-brain barrier. Origenis’ approach has been validated by multiple partners resulting in a significant IP and R&D portfolio that ensures strong patent protection until at least 2032.
Origenis’ lead product candidates address novel, clinically-validated targets Leucine Rich Repeat Kinase 2 (LRRK2) and Death Associated Kinase 1 (DAPK1), both of which are associated with neurodegeneration in a variety of chronic and acute brain diseases, including Parkinson‘s, Alzheimer’s, dementia, and traumatic brain injury, among others.
These two internal therapeutic key pipeline programs are complemented by Origenis´ proprietary PET tracer programs, that enable a precision medicine approach, open new avenues towards innovative, robust and shortened clinical development pathways with potential for conditional approval after Phase II, and represent a diagnostic tool on its own to enhance drug development and increase overall probability of success.
The combination of its therapeutic with the proprietary PET tracer programs not only forms a sound basis for further clinical development, but also differentiates Origenis from all of its competitors.
Origenis is seeking to raise USD 30 mill. in a Preferred Series A Equity Financing to advance its internal key pipeline candidates towards IND and clinical Phase I and is looking forward to building a transatlantic syndicate of institutional investors.
