SciNeuro Pharmaceuticals is developing novel therapeutics to address major unmet need within CNS diseases. The company is pleased to announce an executive leadership appointment, and update on key pipeline progress milestones.
SciNeuro announces the appointment of Guojun Bu, Ph.D., as its Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Bu joins SciNeuro with more than 30 years’ experience in neurodegenerative disease research, therapeutic discovery, and translation, most recently as Chair of the Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic. He will have overall leadership responsibility for SciNeuro’s discovery and preclinical research activities, based in Rockville, MD, and will drive the translation of SciNeuro’s R&D pipeline programs.
“I am excited to welcome Dr. Bu to SciNeuro. He is a renowned neuroscientist and leading authority in neurodegeneration. He has contributed to the fundamental understanding of neurodegenerative diseases exemplified by his seminal work in addressing the pathogenic mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. He brings deep scientific and disease expertise gained during his longstanding tenure within leading US neurosciences research and clinical centers of excellence” said Min Li, Ph.D., CEO. He added “Dr. Bu is an accomplished leader as chair of a premier neuroscience department within the nation, and Editor-in-Chief of a top neuroscience journal Molecular Neurodegeneration. With several SciNeuro internal R&D programs approaching IND enabling studies, and novel Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s programs poised to commence clinical development in 2023, Bu’s leadership and scientific insight make him an ideal fit to execute SciNeuro’s scientific strategy and neurodegenerative disease area priorities. His appointment further strengthens the company’s scientific leadership and enables SciNeuro to continue to accelerate preclinical and clinical pipeline delivery with both speed and innovation”.
“Having had a longstanding association with SciNeuro as a scientific advisor, I am thrilled to join the company as Chief Scientific Officer.” stated Dr. Bu. “SciNeuro has a strong portfolio with programs focused on proteopathy, immune modulation and vascular health, and has taken multiple programs from inception to key preclinical stages. The strategy of employing robust proprietary platform technologies has enabled the selection of the right molecule and modality with first-in-class or best-in-class potential.” He added “Given encouraging clinical data with both Lp-PLA2 and alpha-synuclein targeted therapies generated by GSK and Roche, SciNeuro’s novel clinical candidates directed to these targets, have significant potential to treat major CNS diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. I look forward to leading and being part of this exciting enterprise”.
Prior to joining SciNeuro, Dr. Bu was Chair of the Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic. He also held additional positions at Mayo, including Mary Lowell Leary Professor of Medicine; Director of Mayo Clinic Neuroregeneration Lab; and Associate Director, Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Prior to joining the Mayo Clinic in 2010, he was a Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. In addition to serving as a founding editor and Editor-in-Chief for Molecular Neurodegeneration, Dr. Bu is also an Associate Editor for Science Advances and is on the Advisory Board for Neuron. He is the recipient of multiple honors and awards including election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and as a recipient of a MERIT Award from NIH/NIA, Zenith Fellows Award from the Alzheimer’s Association, and MetLife Award for Medical Research in Alzheimer’s Disease.
SNP201 poised to commence clinical development: The company is pleased to provide an update on the development of its novel alpha-synuclein-targeted therapeutic candidate, SNP201. This program was licensed from Eli Lilly & Co at the discovery stage (Press Release). SNP201 possesses several best-in-class features in reducing extracellular alpha-synuclein, a key driver of Parkinson’s disease. This program has now completed all preclinical and IND-enabling studies and is entering regulatory submission.
As part of an overall development strategy, a clinical observational study (SNP704) is being undertaken by SciNeuro in patients with Parkinson’s disease to provide critical insight into disease progression, biomarkers, and disease management with evolving standards of care. The SNP704 study is a multi-center study and was initiated in November 2021; enrollment was completed with more than 80 healthy subjects and Parkinson’s disease patients. The observational study will enable a better understanding of disease biomarkers and patient stratification to support the clinical development of SNP201.
SciNeuro Pharmaceuticals is an innovation-driven, neuroscience-focused biopharmaceutical company with an established pipeline of novel therapeutic candidates to address neurodegenerative and other CNS diseases. The company focuses on targets that are supported by human biology and that play a critical role in regulating foundation biology, to achieve a better probability of success in clinical development. SciNeuro is committed to delivering medicines that can make a difference to improve the lives of patients around the world, transforming scientific discoveries into groundbreaking therapies. To learn more, visit www.scineuro.com.
