Aspen Neuroscience Announces Appointment of Damien McDevitt, PhD as President and Chief Executive Officer

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Aspen Neuroscience, a private biotechnology company developing the first autologous neuron replacement therapy to treat Parkinson's disease, announced today that it has appointed biotech leader Damien McDevitt, PhD, as President and Chief Executive Officer.  Dr. McDevitt will also be joining the company's board of directors.

"We are excited to welcome Damien to Aspen Neuroscience at a pivotal moment of growth and development for the company," said Faheem Hasnain, Aspen Board Chairman. "His experience leading global teams through transformational periods will be critical to Aspen as we move into this new stage."

"I am honored to be joining Aspen Neuroscience, which is innovating at the intersection of regenerative medicine and neurosciences," said Dr. McDevitt. "I'm excited about our mission to develop transformational medicines for Parkinson's patients, who have very limited treatment options.  Aspen is poised for its next chapter, with a very compelling pipeline developed by the great minds at Scripps, including lead product ANPD001, currently undergoing IND-enabling studies for the treatment of sporadic forms of Parkinson's disease, and ANPD002, which combines gene correction and autologous neuron therapy, being studied for the treatment of genetic forms of Parkinson's disease. We are excited to be building this world-class team in San Diego, a hub for R&D and life sciences, and in California, which is on the leading edge of regenerative medicine science."

A distinguished leader in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry sectors, Dr. McDevitt is recognized for his vision, strategic planning, and corporate leadership.  With a career spanning more than 25 years, he has served in multiple board and executive leadership roles including most recently as CEO of rare diseases company Akcea Therapeutics, Inc. Prior to joining Akcea, Damien held senior executive roles at Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Acadia Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals.

Founded on the groundbreaking research of world-renowned stem cell scientist, Dr. Jeanne Loring, and her colleague, Dr. Andrés Bratt-Leal, Aspen was founded in 2018 and has reached critical milestones in a short span. This includes identifying and advancing two potential treatments in pre-clinical development, and raising more than $76 million with broad biotech investment community support, including the recently closed Series A funding round, and a recently expanded board to include seasoned industry executives.

ABOUT ASPEN NEUROSCIENCE
Aspen Neuroscience, Inc. is a development stage, private biotechnology company that uses innovative genomic approaches combined with stem cell biology to develop patient-specific, restorative cell therapies with the aim to modify the course of Parkinson's disease. We strive to develop best-in-class methods for autologous neuron replacement using induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to address diseases with high unmet clinical need, beginning with Parkinson's disease and extending across the brain and affected organs. For more information and important updates, please visit http://www.aspenneuroscience.com.

SOURCE Aspen Neuroscience, Inc.

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http://www.aspenneuroscience.com