SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cortexyme, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRTX), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering a novel disease-modifying therapeutic approach to treat a key underlying cause of Alzheimer’s and other degenerative diseases, today announced four new additions to its Clinical Advisory Board (CAB). Jeffrey Cummings, M.D., Sc.D., David Hosford M.D., Ph.D., Lon Schneider, M.D., M.S., and Pierre N. Tariot, M.D. join the CAB with deep and diverse experience in central nervous system (CNS) drug development. The newly expanded CAB will support Cortexyme as its lead investigational gingipain inhibitor, COR388, moves through phase 2/3 clinical development as a potential treatment for patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.
“The growing data from Cortexyme and other researchers around the gingipain hypothesis is compelling,” said Lon Schneider, M.D., M.S., a new member of the CAB and Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Gerontology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. “I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues on the Cortexyme CAB to advise the company as it evaluates this upstream therapeutic approach, both through the ongoing GAIN trial and future clinical development work.”
Commenting on the expansion of the CAB, Michael Detke, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer of Cortexyme said: “Cortexyme has benefited greatly from our Clinical Advisory Board’s input into the GAIN trial design, and we are excited to expand the group with the addition of Drs. Cummings, Hosford, Schneider, and Tariot, who collectively bring world-class expertise in CNS disease research, drug development, and regulatory affairs. We look forward to working together to efficiently advance COR388 for the benefit of Alzheimer’s patients.”
Additions to Cortexyme’s Clinical Advisory Board:
- Jeffrey Cummings, M.D., Sc.D., is a longtime Alzheimer’s researcher and clinical trial leader committed to developing new therapies for diseases of the brain and studying the interface of neuroscience and society. Dr. Cummings is Research Professor in the Department of Brain Health at University of Nevada Las Vegas and founding director of Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Nevada and Cleveland, Ohio. He is a professor of medicine (neurology) at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. He is the principal investigator/director of the NIH/NIGMS-funded Center for Neurodegeneration and Translational Neuroscience.
- David Hosford M.D., Ph.D. is the chief medical officer (CMO) at Kingsfoil Pharmavision, a biopharmaceutical consultancy specializing in strategic drug development advice and regulatory pathway guidance. He formerly served as an FDA clinical reviewer in its Division of Neurology Products; as CMO at Kowa Research Institute; as a senior strategic medical lead (CNS) at Quintiles; as the Vice President for Clinical Development and Regulatory Affairs at Targacept, Inc.; and in many discovery and development roles across multiple therapeutic areas at GlaxoSmithKline.
- Lon Schneider, M.D., M.S. is a recognized expert on Alzheimer’s disease and its treatment, late-in-life depression, and drug development. He is a professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Gerontology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. Dr. Schneider also serves as the director of the California Alzheimer’s Disease Center and the USC Department of Psychiatry Geriatric Studies Center, as well as the co-director of the clinical core of the university’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, which is supported by the NIH.
- Pierre N. Tariot, M.D. serves as the director of the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, a component of the research organization of Banner Health, one of the largest non-profit healthcare systems in the United States. Dr. Tariot is also a research professor of psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. A member of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, he has earned multiple awards for his research, including the American Geriatrics Society New Investigator Award for Neuroscience and an NIMH Geriatric Mental Health Academic Award.
About Cortexyme, Inc.
Cortexyme (Nasdaq: CRTX) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering a novel disease-modifying therapeutic approach to treat a key underlying cause of Alzheimer’s disease and other degenerative diseases. Cortexyme is targeting a specific, infectious pathogen found in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients and tied to neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation in animal models. The company’s lead investigational medicine, COR388, is the subject of the GAIN trial, an ongoing Phase 2/3 clinical study in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. More information about the trial can be found at www.GAINtrial.com. To learn more about Cortexyme, visit www.cortexyme.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release contain “forward-looking statements” that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “believe,” “will,” “may,” “should,” “estimate,” “project,” “outlook,” “forecast” or other similar words. Forward-looking statements are based on Cortexyme’s current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Further, certain forward-looking statements are based on assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, the risks and uncertainties described in the section titled “Risk Factors” in the final prospectus related to Cortexyme’s initial public offering filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 9, 2019 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 12, 2019. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of this date, and Cortexyme undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.
