Cognoptix Announces Formation of a New Board of Directors

MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Dec. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cognoptix is a breakthrough diagnostics company developing an innovative office-based device-drug system for the early detection of Alzheimer's disease (AD). As another milestone of the Series R restart, recapitalization, and revitalization, the company named a new Board of Directors (BOD) formed under the leadership of Dr. Susanne Wilke, Ph.D., Cognoptix' new President and CEO.

In addition to Dr. Wilke, the five-member board includes Dr. Lee E. Goldstein, Cognoptix co-founder and co-chair of the company's Scientific Advisory Board (SAB); R. Gregg Stone and John Conley, both are members of the Launchpad Venture Group which led the Cognoptix Series R fundraising and is a nationally recognized leader among angel networks; and H. Lawrence Remmel, Esq., Partner and Chair of the Banking and Finance Group at Pryor Cashman.

Dr. Lee Goldstein is a leading expert on biomarker discovery in AD and CTE. Dr. Goldstein directs the Molecular Aging & Development Laboratory and co-leads the Biomarker Core of the Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Boston University Center for Translational Neuroimaging. He started his career at Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School. In a 12/21/2020 press release, Cognoptix announced Dr. Goldstein's new roles in the company and an overview of his groundbreaking research that underpins the Cognoptix SAPPHIRE II system.

R. Gregg Stone and John Conley are both seasoned healthcare investors with lengthy track records of successfully guiding and directly leading healthcare companies. "In Cognoptix, I saw a technology with the potential to transform detection and care in a disease that is devastating to millions of patients and their families. SAPPHIRE II is a breakthrough technology because it will allow for safe, non-invasive early detection of this disease at a stage when interventions will make the most difference," said Gregg Stone. "Under Dr. Wilke's leadership, Cognoptix is soon to begin its pivotal trial and is pursuing the partnerships needed for successful global commercialization," John Conley added.

H. Lawrence Remmel, Esq brings, in addition to his tremendous legal and financial expertise, extensive biotech expertise, i.e., with CytoDel and Aufbau Holdings, two leading biotech companies developing therapeutics in the neuro and ophthalmology areas, respectively.  

"Cognoptix' Board of Directors will provide crucial leadership to guide the transformation of the company from its previous R&D focus, to achieving FDA approval and commercialization of its SAPPHIRE II system," said Dr. Wilke.

Cognoptix has successfully completed two proof-of-concept clinical studies, both of which showed that the Sapphire II system not only can accurately detect Alzheimer's β-amyloid (Ab) in the lens of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or early-stage AD but may also be more sensitive than amyloid PET brain scans, the current gold standard for Ab detection.

Cognoptix is launching the final stage of its development program in preparation for a pivotal clinical study in 2021. The goal of this study is to replicate the strong results obtained during pre-pivotal testing.

More on the five standing members of Cognoptix' Board of Directors:

Dr. Susanne Wilke, Ph.D., MBA is the President & CEO of Cognoptix.  Dr. Wilke is an experienced executive with over 30 years of experience in drug development, venture capital financing, and operations having held senior positions in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, venture capital, and healthcare consulting. Prior to joining Cognoptix, Dr. Wilke served as the CEO and a director of Neurotrope Biosciences, a clinical-stage biotech company focused on neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's.  Previously, she was founder and Managing Partner of CrossBridge International, a healthcare advisory firm focused on strategy and capital formation. Dr. Wilke's industry experience includes positions at Forest Labs, Roche Pharmaceuticals and Amgen. She was also a venture investor at SV Life Sciences and NGN Capital.

Lee E. Goldstein, M.D., Ph.D. is the co-founder of Cognoptix. Dr. Goldstein's lab, originally at Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and now at Boston University School of Medicine and Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, made the seminal discovery that Ab accumulates in the lens of patients with Alzheimer's disease. This finding is the first evidence of AD-linked Ab pathology outside the brain. Dr. Goldstein confirmed in detailed studies using mass spectroscopy peptide mapping and other techniques that amyloid deposit in the lens of the eye mirror beta-amyloid deposits in the brain. Dr. Goldstein and his team were first to predict, and then identify, identical AD-linked Ab lens pathology in people with Down syndrome, a common chromosomal disease that also results in early-onset Aβ pathology in the brain.  He directs the Molecular Aging & Development Laboratory and co-leads the Biomarker Core of the Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Boston University Center for Translational Neuroimaging. Dr. Goldstein's research provided the foundational science that underpins Cognoptix' mission. He has received awards from the Alzheimer's Association, American Federation for Aging Research, Optical Society of America, National Institutes of Health, Harvard Medical School, and Oxford University.

R. Gregg Stone is the founder of Kestrel Management. For almost 40 years, he has been an active business investor as an angel investor of seed-stage companies' development and board member to selecting public market managers. He is an active member of Launchpad Venture Group, the largest angel group in the Northeast. Gregg currently serves as a director to Cambridge Trust Company and another private company. Until its sale to eRT in 2015, he served as the Chairman of PHT Corp, a pharmaceutical service company based in Charlestown, MA. Prior and current investments include NovaCare, Health Dialog, CardioFocus and Iora Healthcare. Before founding Kestrel in 1996, he worked as an investment adviser and practiced law in Boston.

John Conley co-founded Gilliam Capital LLC, a life science investment firm, and is a member and director of Launchpad Venture Group, Cognoptix' founding investor and syndicate lead. He is a board member for three healthcare startups and works with a variety of social enterprises. John was the Chief Operating Officer of Entrepreneurship for All, a nonprofit that is accelerating economic and social impact through fostering entrepreneurship in mid-sized cities. Previously, he was co-founder and CFO of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals through its successful initial public offering. He also held various business development, marketing, sales and finance positions at Transkaryotic Therapies and Biogen and was a strategic consultant at Bain & Company. 

H. Lawrence Remmel, Esq. is a Partner at Pryor Cashman LLP, a New York law firm, where he serves as Chair of the Banking and Finance practice group. His practice includes corporate and banking financing issues relating to the Investment Company Act of 1940 and intellectual property and licensing issues, particularly in the biotechnology and bio-cosmeceutical areas. Larry is a board member of Atossa Therapeutics, Inc., a company focused on the development and marketing of pharmaceuticals for the treatment of breast cancer and similar conditions; CytoDel, Inc., an early-stage biopharmaceutical company developing products for biodefense, neuronal drug delivery, and musculoskeletal and aesthetic medicine; and Aufbau Holdings, Ltd., an Irish company developing diagnostics and therapeutics in ophthalmology, oncology and other areas.

For more about Cognoptix, visit: https://www.cognoptix.com

Cognoptix, Inc.
33 Boston Post Rd W, Suite 140
Marlborough, MA 01752
(508) 251-1546

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Justine LaVoye
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[email protected]

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SOURCE Cognoptix