Nine Square Therapeutics Appoints Robert Paul as CEO

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Jan. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Nine Square Therapeutics, a biotechnology company applying computational chemistry and machine-learning enabled cell profiling to discover and develop novel small-molecule therapeutics for movement disorders including Parkinson's and ALS, announced today that Robert Paul, M.D., Ph.D., has joined the company as its chief executive officer. Nine Square Therapeutics was created in 2020 by ATP (Apple Tree Partners), a leading life sciences venture capital firm, with University of California San Francisco pharmaceutical scientists Matthew P. Jacobson, Ph.D., Steve Altschuler, Ph.D., and Lani Wu, Ph.D.

"Robert joins Nine Square at a pivotal moment for the company, when we are advancing key programs and building our pipeline, and assembling a world-class scientific team," said Spiros Liras, Ph.D., co-founder of Nine Square Therapeutics and venture partner at ATP. "We are excited to welcome Robert and benefit from his expert guidance and leadership in our work to accelerate potential breakthroughs for patients affected by neurological disorders."

Dr. Paul brings to Nine Square more than two decades of experience in medical neurology and biotechnology industry leadership. Since 2016, he has served as chief medical officer of Alector, a biotechnology company pioneering novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases by targeting immune dysfunction as a root cause of multiple pathologies that drive degenerative brain disorders. He joined Alector from Genentech, where between 2009 and 2016 he held various leadership roles in the company's Medical and Neuroscience Clinical Development organizations. Prior to joining Genentech, he spent several years as a neurologist at the University of Munich and also was a consultant at Boston Consulting Group. Dr. Paul is a board-certified neurologist in Germany and holds an M.D. and a Ph.D. from Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München.

"Nine Square Therapeutics is tackling known, high-value biological targets using unexploited modalities in an unprecedented and highly promising way. I am greatly impressed by the rigor and originality of the company's approach; the sophistication of its marriage of computational techniques and state-of-the-art microscopic imaging; and the caliber of the team," Dr. Paul said. "I am excited about the great progress I've observed to date and the tremendous potential for the future of Nine Square and the patients we seek to serve."

About Nine Square Therapeutics

Nine Square Therapeutics, an ATP company based in South San Francisco, is discovering novel small-molecule therapeutics for Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and non-degenerative forms of movement disorders such as essential tremors and dyskinesias. Founded by life sciences venture capital firm ATP and leading scientists at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), Nine Square has the capabilities and depth in computational science to drive drug discovery at an accelerated pace and provide multiple approaches to high value targets, to bring hope and help to people living with debilitating conditions. For more information, visit https://www.ninesquaretx.com/.

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SOURCE Nine Square Therapeutics