CAMBRIDGE, England–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Mission
Therapeutics (“Mission”), a drug discovery and development company
focused on treating mitochondrial diseases, fibrosis and
neurodegenerative disorders by selectively inhibiting deubiquitylating
enzymes (DUBs), today announced the appointment of Dr. James Summers as
an independent member to its Board of Directors, with immediate effect.
Dr. Summers brings over 30 years of drug discovery and pharmaceutical
research management experience to Mission’s Board. His most recent
position was as Vice President of Neuroscience Research at AbbVie, where
he led drug discovery efforts in the treatment of Alzheimer’s and
Parkinson’s diseases, pain, and psychiatric disorders.
Dr. Colin Goddard, Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors
at Mission, said:
“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Summers to
our Board of Directors. Jim has spearheaded numerous transactions for
AbbVie in the area of neurological disorders, including Mission’s
collaboration with AbbVie for the development of DUB inhibitors to treat
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. We believe his appointment as a
Director will bring immense domain knowledge to our deliberations as a
board and I look forward to working with him in his new role.”
Dr. Anker Lundemose, Chief Executive Officer at Mission, added:
“Since
the start of the AbbVie collaboration in November 2018, the Mission team
has already benefited from the strength of Jim’s specialist knowledge
and sector experience. We believe that he will be of tremendous value to
the Company as we continue to progress our therapeutic pipeline”.
Dr. James Summers, newly appointed Non-Executive Director at Mission,
also commented:
“In addition to its best-in-class DUB
technology platform, Mission has researchers with a unique understanding
of the science behind Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. I am
thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to support the Company as
it works towards developing new treatments that positively impact the
lives of patients with these debilitating diseases.”
Prior to his role at AbbVie, Dr. Summers was Divisional Vice President
of Advanced Technology with Abbott, where he managed the organisation
responsible for the diverse technologies and services that enable
effective drug discovery research across the company. He has established
new research sites in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Shanghai, China and
led the way in refocusing the research strategies of this global
organisation. He has also championed multiple successful deals,
collaborations and investments and advanced more than 20 compounds into
clinical development.
Dr. Summers earned his Bachelor of Science degree, summa cum laude, in
chemistry from Denison University and his doctorate in organic chemistry
from Harvard University.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS:
About Mission Therapeutics
Mission Therapeutics is an early-stage drug development company
targeting the ubiquitin pathway for the treatment of neurodegenerative
disease, rare mitochondrial diseases and fibrosis. The Company
has built a leading platform for the discovery and development of
first-in-class, small molecule drugs that selectively target
deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs) – an emerging drug class that is
attracting significant commercial interest in the area of protein
homeostasis.
In November 2018, Mission Therapeutics and AbbVie entered into a
collaboration in the research and preclinical development of specified
DUB inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s
Disease. Mission has strong links with key academic and research
centers, including Prof. Jackson’s Cancer Research UK Laboratories at
the University of Cambridge Gurdon Institute, and leading UK centres in
neurodegenerative diseases. The Company is managed by a team with broad
international, commercial and clinical-science experience.
In February 2016, the Company completed an $86m financing that was led
by Imperial Innovations (now part of IP Group) and Woodford Patient
Capital Trust and included participation from existing investors
Sofinnova Partners, Roche Venture Fund, Pfizer Venture Investments and
SR One. Mission Therapeutics was founded in 2011 and is based at the
Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK.
For more information, please visit our website, www.missiontherapeutics.com,
or follow us on Twitter
or LinkedIn.
Contacts
Mission Therapeutics Ltd
Anker Lundemose MD PhD
Chief
Executive Officer
T: +44 (0) 1223 607340
Instinctif
Partners
Melanie Toyne-Sewell / Eileen Paul
T: +44 (0) 20
7457 2020
E: missiontherapeutics@instinctif.com