NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oligomerix, Inc., a privately held company pioneering the development of small molecule therapeutics targeting tau for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related neurodegenerative disorders, today announced that Robert Foerster has been appointed Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Foerster joins Oligomerix with significant financial, strategic and operational experience in the life science industry.
“We are very pleased to have Robert join our team at Oligomerix. He will bring important financial experience to our business as we continue to progress towards IND filing and Phase 1 clinical studies for our small molecule inhibitor of tau self-association,” said James Moe, Ph.D., MBA, President and CEO of Oligomerix.
Mr. Foerster is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive with experience across numerous financial, therapeutic and functional areas during his 28 years with Pfizer. His roles included Senior Director Commercial Development for Emerging Markets, Senior Director Business Development – Japan, where he was responsible for the entire development portfolio, numerous business alliances, strategic planning, and was a member of the Leadership team. He was Director/Team Leader - Neuroscience for New Product Development, which included the development of Chantix, and Director of Financial Operations for the Africa Middle East region where he was responsible for financial analysis, reporting and compliance. Mr. Foerster received his BA in Economics from Dartmouth and MBA Finance from Rutgers.
“Oligomerix has hit significant milestones, most recently demonstrating that its small molecule can inhibit the initial steps of tau oligomer formation and reduce the subsequent formation of larger tau aggregates in vivo in models of AD and frontotemporal dementia,” said Mr. Foerster. “I’m excited to bring my experience in biopharmaceutical financial strategy and business development to a dynamic leadership team as the company advances towards starting clinical trials in 2021,” he added.
About Oligomerix’s Lead Program
Oligomerix’s lead candidate is a small molecule inhibitor of tau self-association and targets the beginning of the tau aggregation cascade. The activity of the drug translated from in vitro and cell assays to animal studies, validating the company’s screening approach. In vivo proof-of-concept studies demonstrated compound efficacy in two transgenic mouse models with tau pathology representative of AD and frontotemporal dementia. In a study recently published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Oligomerix and the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research reported that the compound inhibited hippocampal self-associated tau in the htau mouse model of tauopathy which expresses the six CNS isoforms of the human tau protein. Preclinical safety studies are underway with a lead compound. The lead compound is being developed with an accompanying novel biomarker.
About Oligomerix, Inc.
Oligomerix is an emerging biotechnology company focused on developing disease-modifying therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias by targeting tau self-association. The company’s drug discovery platform has identified a pipeline of novel small molecule inhibitors, with preclinical IND-enabling studies in progress for the lead program. Oligomerix’s small molecule approach blocks the formation of all tau aggregates by targeting tau self-association, known as the beginning of the aggregation cascade, whereas other companies have focused on targeting large tau aggregates formed downstream. The NYC-based company is located at the Ullmann Research Center for Health Sciences within the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Oligomerix is seeking strategic partners to support the acceleration and advancement of these important programs. For more information about Oligomerix, please visit http://www.oligomerix.com.
