Alkahest Appoints Helen Jenkins as Chief Operating Officer

SAN CARLOS, Calif., Aug. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Alkahest, Inc. ("Alkahest"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and other age-related conditions, announced today that Helen Jenkins has joined the company's executive team as Chief Operating Officer. In this role, Ms. Jenkins will be responsible for translating corporate business priorities into operational tactics that achieve Alkahest's financial and strategic goals.

Ms. Jenkins joins Alkahest from Tobira Therapeutics, Inc. where she served as Chief Operating Officer, and played a key role in Tobira's acquisition by Allergan plc in a deal valued at up to $1.7 billion in November of 2016.  

"Helen is an outstanding drug developer with an excellent track record of industry leadership," said Dr. Karoly Nikolich, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Alkahest. "Helen brings extensive product development and management expertise to Alkahest and shares our dedication to discover and develop effective therapies for neurodegenerative diseases."  

"I am thrilled to join Alkahest's leadership team, and to participate in the progression of the Company's preclinical and clinical stage pipeline. We are entering into an unprecedented period of productivity in the development of therapies for age-related diseases, and it's exciting to be at the forefront," said Ms. Jenkins.

Ms. Jenkins brings nearly 30 years of drug development experience in biotechnology to Alkahest, highlighted by a strong understanding of science, drug development, project management and regulatory requirements.  Before serving in multiple roles of increasing responsibility at Tobira, Helen served as a corporate officer at Nuon Therapeutics, Inc. and Saegis Pharmaceuticals, where she was responsible for development operations, strategic planning and portfolio management. Prior to Nuon and Saegis, Ms. Jenkins was Senior Director, Product Development/Regulatory Affairs, at Valentis, Inc., and she previously led preclinical programs through successful IND filings during her tenures at Glycomed Inc. and Genentech, Inc. Ms. Jenkins has a Masters of Arts in cellular and molecular biology from San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA.

About Alkahest
Alkahest is developing treatments for age-related diseases, with an emphasis on cognitive dysfunction and dementia -- key medical challenges of our generation.  The company's breakthrough research has demonstrated that factors in blood plasma of young animals are able to reverse brain deficits in normal aging and Alzheimer's disease models in animals.   Alkahest is a clinical-stage private company based in San Carlos, CA, with investors including Barcelona, Spain-based Grifols, a global healthcare company and leading producer of plasma therapies, as well as a collaboration and commercialization partner.  For further information, see www.alkahest.com.

Contact Information: 
Joe McCracken 
Vice President Business Development 
Alkahest, Inc. 
650-245-2973
[email protected]

SOURCE Alkahest, Inc.