Mr. Alex Vasilkevich reports
BRIGHT MINDS BIOSCIENCES EXPANDS SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD TO INCLUDE RENOWNED LEADERS IN EPILEPSY RESEARCH
Bright Minds Biosciences Inc. has expanded its scientific advisory board (SAB) to include five distinguished experts in epilepsy research:
- Jo Sourbron, MD, PhD, MPharm;
"The addition of these five esteemed scientists to our SAB reflects our deepening clinical focus on epilepsy. Together with our current SAB members, their expertise will be invaluable as we continue our phase 2 breakthrough study of BMB-101 in adult patients with classic Absence Epilepsy and Developmental Epileptic Encephalopathy (DEE). Their cumulative experience advising on clinical trials across numerous Epilepsy and related brain diseases, both in pediatric and adult patient populations, will help shape our trajectory as we seek to advance our pipeline of product candidates," said Stephen Collins, chief medical officer of Bright Minds Biosciences.
"We are fortunate to welcome these accomplished and highly respected researchers to the Bright Minds team at this exciting juncture. As we advance our clinical programs through the regulatory process, their perspectives and real-world experience will provide important guidance around our development efforts. Epilepsy affects more than 70 million people worldwide, and we are committed to pursuing therapies that reduce seizure frequency and improve the quality of life for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy," said Ian McDonald, chief executive officer and co-founder of Bright Minds Biosciences.
Dr. Dlugos, MD, MSCE, is Professor of neurology and pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania and director, pediatric epilepsy program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Dr. Dlugos currently serves as a vice-president of the Epilepsy Study Consortium, Incorporated (ESCI). As vice-president, he co-ordinates reviews and adjudications for pediatric epilepsy trials and participated in discussions with the Food and Drug Administration regarding extrapolation of efficacy for focal-onset seizures to one-month to age, and the validity of developmental and epileptic encephalopathy broadly (DEE Other) as a clinical indication for pivotal trials and FDA labelling. Dr. Dlugos is also a member of AES and the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium (PERC). He received his MD from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York. He completed his internship in Pediatrics at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md.; residency in neurology-child neurology at the University of Pennsylvania/CHOP, and epilepsy fellowship at CHOP. Articles authored or co-authored by Dr. Dlugos have been published in Neurology, Annals of Neurology, Lancet Neurology, Epilepsia, Lancet, Nature, The New England Journal of Medicine and other journals.
Dr. French, MD, is a professor of neurology in the comprehensive Epilepsy Center at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and founder/director of the Epilepsy Study Consortium, an academic group that has performed a number of early phase epilepsy trials. Dr. French trained in neurology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and did her fellowship at Mount Sinai hospital and Yale University. Dr. French serves as the medical director of the Epilepsy Foundation. She is the past president of the American Epilepsy Society. She has authored over 300 articles and chapters, and lectures internationally on use of anti-seizure medicines.
Dr. O'Brien, MD, is chair of medicine (Neurology) and head, The School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, and program director, Alfred Brain, and deputy director of research, Alfred Health. He is a specialist in neurology and clinical pharmacology, with particular expertise in epilepsy and neurodegenerative diseases, preclinical and clinical trials, and in-vivo imaging in animal models and humans. He leads a large translational research team undertaking both basic studies and clinical studies focused on developing improved treatments for people with epilepsy and related brain diseases, including traumatic brain injury, dementias and brain tumours. He has published more than 850 peer-reviewed original papers which have been highly cited (more than 42,000 times GS). He has been a PI on over 200 clinical trials, including eight that have been translated from his basic discovery research program. He has received 18 research awards from national and international scientific bodies.
Dr. Sourbron, MD, PhD, MPharm, is a physician scientist with a clinical practice at the University Hospitals of Ghent (UZ Ghent, Belgium) and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Leuven (UZ/KU Leuven, Belgium). Dr. Sourbron has a special interest in genetic forms of epilepsy and clinical trials for drug-resistant forms of epilepsy. He has been a preclinical researcher for over a decade, focused on finding novel serotonergic (5-HT) compounds for drug-resistant epilepsies. Dr. Sourbron has explored the efficacy and safety of a variety of anti-epileptic drugs including, 5-HT2 agonists like fenfluramine and lorcaserin in various animal models. For the past five years, he has been particularly involved in research involving epilepsy with eyelid myoclonia (EEM) with prominent photic induction (Sunflower syndrome). Concomitantly, he was involved in the pilot clinical trial of fenfluramine in Sunflower syndrome patients. Finally, he participated in several other clinical trials for drug-resistant epilepsies, such as cannabidiol in the treatment of drug-resistant epileptic disorders.
Dr. Sullivan, MD, is a professor of neurology and pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and director of the UCSF Pediatric Epilepsy Center of Excellence at Benioff Children's Hospital. He has served as principal investigator for numerous clinical trials in pediatric epilepsy and has a particular interest in Dravet syndrome and PCDH19 related epilepsy. He completed a pediatric residency at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Memorial Hospital of Northwestern University in Chicago, where he spent an additional year as pediatric chief resident. He then completed his neurology, child neurology and epilepsy training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, both in Philadelphia, before taking his first faculty position at UCSF in 2007. He currently serves on the board of directors and medical advisory board for the Dravet Syndrome Foundation and is chair of the PCDH19 Alliance scientific advisory board.
Drs. Dlugos, French, O'Brien, Sourbron and Sullivan join the company's current SAB members, Michael P. Bogenschutz, MD, Robert C. Malenka, MD, PhD, Herbert Y. Meltzer, MD, and Dr. Peter Hendricks, PhD.
Grant of equity incentive awards
The company has granted stock options to certain directors, officers and consultants of the company to purchase an aggregate 161,000 common shares in the capital of the company pursuant to the company's share option plan and 600 restricted stock units (RSUs). The options are exercisable at an exercise price of $35.00 (U.S.) per share for a period of four years from the date of grant. The options are subject to vesting periods over the course of the term of the options.
About Bright Minds
Biosciences Inc.
Bright Minds is a biotechnology company developing innovative treatments for patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders. Its pipeline includes novel compounds targeting key receptors in the brain to address conditions with high unmet medical need, including epilepsy, depression, and other CNS disorders. Bright Minds is focused on delivering breakthrough therapies that can transform patients' lives.
Bright Minds has developed a unique platform of highly selective serotonergic agonists exhibiting selectivity at different serotonergic receptors. This has provided a rich portfolio of NCE programs within neurology and psychiatry.
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