QR Pharma Announces New Scientific Advisory Board

BERWYN, Pa., Jan. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- QR Pharma, Inc., a privately held Phase 2 biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies for the treatment of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases, today announced the appointment of four world-class key opinion leaders to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). These new appointments join QR Pharma's previous roster of impressive advisors in order to provide strategic leadership and direction to support the development of the breakthrough mechanism of action of Posiphen in neurodegenerative disease.

Posiphen is a first-in-class inhibitor of the neurotoxic aggregating proteins involved in the pathogenesis of conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Posiphen has been shown to reduce the expression of key neurodegenerative proteins including amyloid precursor protein, alpha synuclein and tau. This innovative mechanism of action could be applicable to several conditions in which multiple neurodegenerative proteins share responsibility for disease pathogenesis. Posiphen is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2A proof-of-concept/mechanism study for patients with early Alzheimer's disease.

"We are thrilled to have attracted four world-class experts in the area of neurology to our team of scientific advisors," stated Maria Maccecchini, Ph.D., President and CEO of QR Pharma. "They join at an exciting time for our company. Recent breakthrough discoveries regarding Posiphen's mechanism of action suggest a first-in-class disease-modifying therapeutic with broad clinical application. The experience each of the new advisors brings to our team will be invaluable in realizing the full therapeutic potential of Posiphen in neurodegenerative disease."

"Posiphen represents an opportunity to attack neurodegenerative disease at its roots," commented Dr. Sidney Strickland, new Chairman of the QR Pharma SAB and Professor of Neurology and Genetics at Rockefeller University. "Unlike other therapeutic modalities that only attack a single axis of neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis, Posiphen targets multiple disease-causing proteins. I look forward to working with the fellow members of the SAB and QR Pharma leadership to advance this promising therapeutic agent for patients suffering from debilitating neurodegenerative conditions."

The four new scientific advisory board members are:

• William Mobley, M.D., Ph.D., is Distinguished Professor, Department of Neurosciences Florence Riford Chair for Alzheimer Research and Associate Dean for Neurosciences Initiatives. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. His research focuses on the neurobiology of neurotrophic factor actions/signaling and on the hypothesis that dysfunction of such signaling mechanisms contribute to neuronal dysfunction in developmental and age-related disorders of the neurosystem.
   
• Gregory Petsko, Ph.D., is the Arthur J. Mahon Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience and Director, Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medical College and adjunct professor of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. His current research interests are directed at understanding the biochemical bases of neurological diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS; discovering treatments (especially by using structure-based drug design), and seeing any resulting drug candidates tested in humans.
   
• Sidney Strickland, Ph.D., is the Vice President and Dean for Educational Affairs and Research Professor, Patricia and John Rosenwald Laboratory of Neurobiology and Genetics at Rockefeller University. Dr. Strickland's laboratory investigates how dysfunction of the circulatory system contributes to Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative disorders. He will serve as the Chairman of QR Pharma's SAB.
   
• Rudolph Tanzi, Ph.D., is Vice-Chair and Director of Neurology, Genetics and Aging, and the Joseph and Rose Kennedy Professor of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Tanzi investigates the molecular and genetic basis of neurological disease and discovered the location of the Huntington's disease gene. He co-discovered all three genes that cause early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease, including the first familial Alzheimer's disease gene, known as the amyloid β-protein (A4) precursor (APP), and the presenilin genes.

These new advisory board members join Dr. Jeff Cummings and Dr. Peter Davies, who already serve on the advisory board:

• Jeffrey Cummings, MD, Cleveland Clinic, is Director, Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Nevada and Cleveland, Ohio. Camille and Larry Ruvo Chair of the Neurological Institute of Cleveland Clinic and Professor of Medicine (Neurology), Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Cummings is a world-renowned Alzheimer's clinical researcher interested in novel therapies for brain diseases. Dr. Cummings is a world-renowned Alzheimer's researcher and leader of clinical trials. He has been recognized for his research and leadership contributions in the field of Alzheimer's disease through the Henderson Award of the American Geriatrics Society (2006), the Research Award of the John Douglas French Alzheimer's Research Foundation (2008), and the Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Award of the national Alzheimer's Association (2008). In 2010, he was honored by the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry with theirDistinguished Scientist Award. In 2011, he was awarded a Doctor of Science by his Alma mater, University of Wyoming. He was featured in the Gentleman's Quarterly (June 2009) as a "Rockstar of Science." Dr. Cummings is interested in clinical trials, developing new therapies for brain diseases, and the interface of neuroscience and society.
   
• Peter Davies, PhD, is Director of the Litwin-Zucker Research Center for the Study of Alzheimer's Disease,The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and Professor, Pathology and Neuroscience, at the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine atHofstra University. Dr. Davies' research is focused on improving the understanding of Alzheimer's disease to allow for the discovery, development and testing of effective therapies.

About QR Pharma, Inc.

Headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, QR Pharma, Inc. is a clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company committed to developing therapeutics with novel approaches for the treatment of neurological disorders.

QR is currently developing Posiphen as a disease-modifying drug for acute as well as chronic neurodegeneration and bisnorcymserine (BNC) for advanced Alzheimer's disease. For more information on QR Pharma, please visit the company's website, www.qrpharma.com

Contact: Maria Maccecchini
Tel: 610-727 3710
Fax: 610 727 4001
[email protected]
www.qrpharma.com

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SOURCE QR Pharma, Inc.