Rett Syndrome

None  Welcome to this week's Chutes & Ladders, our roundup of hirings, firings and retirings throughout the industry. Please send the good word—or the bad—from your shop to Max Bayer or Gabrielle Masson, and we will feature it here at the end of each week.  Lonza nabs new CEO after snapping up Roche site Lonza From one Swiss CDMO to another. That’s the course Wolfgang Wienand is taking, with summer plans to jump from his role at Siegfried’s helm over to lead Lonza.  Lonza’s interim CEO Albert Baehny, who stepped up from his chair position in October after Pierre-Alain Ruffieux abruptly left, is set to retire from the CDMO giant after a transition period. The interim leader is expected to cede his chair title to Heineken Chair Jean-Marc Huët at Lonza’s annual shareholder meeting this May. Newly tapped Wienand will join Lonza after serving as Siegfried’s CEO for five years. He joined the CDMO in 2010 and held a variety of leadership roles before taking up the top spot, including chief scientific officer, head of global R&D and chief strategy officer.  The CEO announcement follows years of leadership turnover at Lonza and comes a few weeks after the CDMO unveiled a $1.2 billion acquisition of a large biologics manufacturing facility in California from Roche’s Genentech. Fierce Pharma  Amgen R&D leader jumps to Acadia Acadia Pharmaceuticals After leading R&D at Horizon Therapeutics, and then Amgen after Horizon’s $27.8 billion acquisition, Elizabeth H. Z. Thompson, Ph.D., is heading over to neuroscience-focused Acadia Pharmaceuticals.  Thompson is taking on the role of EVP and head of R&D at Acadia, which touts the only FDA-approved drug to treat hallucinations and delusions tied to Parkinson’s disease psychosis as well as the only FDA-approved drug for treating Rett syndrome. Thompson will focus on Acardia’s clinical-stage programs, which include a candidate for a genetic disorder called Prader-Willi syndrome and an Alzheimer’s disease psychosis program. Thompson joins from Amgen, where she was EVP of rare disease R&D after the October acquisition of Horizon, where Thompson led R&D activities. Years ago, from 2003 to 2014, Thompson had started her biopharma career at Amgen before going on to hold roles across AbbVie, Raptor and InterMune. Release  3 C-suite leaders depart I-Mab I-Mab I-Mab’s chief business officer Weimin Tang, chief communications officer Gigi Qi Feng and chief legal officer Richard Cheng Li have all chosen to exit the oncology biotech. The departures aren’t due to any disagreement with the company, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, with all three leaders leaving to pursue other opportunities.  Lan Kang, a director of I-Mab’s board, has also resigned, citing personal reasons. Of late, the company has taken steps toward becoming a U.S.-focused biotech, beginning the process of divesting its China operations in February. I-Mab did not return Fierce Biotech’s request for comment as of the time of publication. Release  > Julie Clauss is joining Odyssey Therapeutics’ adventure as chief operating officer, the company announced this week. Joining her is Christopher Butler, who was named SVP and head of chemistry. Release  > Mosaic is painting an updated R&D future with two new hires. The biotech has named Malavi Madireddi, Ph.D., as SVP of drug discovery and Scott Glaser, Ph.D., as SVP of biologics discovery. Release  > Margaret Garin, M.D., has been named VP of clinical development at Trevi Therapeutics after working on the clinical development team at now-GSK-owned Bellus Health. Former Bellus CEO Roberto Bellini took to LinkedIn last month to advocate for his former employees following layoffs at the bought biotech. Release  > NewAmsterdam Pharma has appointed Juliette Audet to serve as the company’s chief business officer. Audet was most recently a partner at life sciences VC Forbion, where she helped build NewAmsterdam Pharma. “She was very instrumental in our founding—she and I worked together on the first financing, the series A, and has been very involved in the strategy for the company formation,” NewAmsterdam CEO Michael Davidson, M.D., told Fierce Biotech this week. “So it's exciting to see her with her talent and experience actually join the leadership team now.” Release > Zura Bio has tapped Robert Lisicki to replace founding CEO Someit Sidhu, M.D., who will stay on as a non-independent board director. Lisicki most recently worked a brief six-month stint as CEO of InCarda Therapeutics. Release  > After overseeing regulatory development at Samsung Bioepis, Luke Oh, Ph.D., is set to join NeoImmuneTech as CEO. Oh worked at the FDA prior to his executive position at Samsung. Release  > Ratio Therapeutics has called on Bill Cupelo to be chief business officer after he led the sales team at Invicro. The company also announced that D. Scott Holbrook would join its board of directors. Release  > Dutch biotech Prilenia Therapeutics has hired Jina Swartz, M.D., Ph.D., as its chief medical officer. She previously held the same role at fellow neurodegenerative-focused company, Exciva. Release  > CDMO KBI Biopharma is bringing aboard Peter Carbone as chief quality officer. He joins from the Center for Breakthrough Medicines, another CDMO where he was chief operating officer. Fierce Pharma > Former CEO of Seeker Biologics, Rand Sutherland, M.D., has been named the new CEO of Upstream Bio. The company also brought on Mike Gray as CFO and COO in addition to Lisa Fiering as SVP of people and culture. Release > Addex CEO Tim Dyer will lead a new spinout company, Neurosterix, according to an announcement this week. He has been at Addex for more than 20 years. Release > Ex-Heron Therapeutics CMO Chris Storgard, M.D., has been named chief medical officer of ADARx. Before that, he was the CMO of Fate Therapeutics. Release > Merck & Co. has a new head of human resources, naming Betty Larson for the job, according to an emailed press release. She most recently was chief people officer at GE HealthCare.  > It’s difficult to fully understand the human impact of biopharma layoffs, but Fierce Biotech calculated at least 2,398 people laid off from the 25 companies reporting numbers of employees affected for 2024’s first quarter. In total, 58 layoff rounds were recorded for the industry from January through March. Fierce Biotech

DALLAS, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Taysha Gene Therapies, Inc. (Nasdaq: TSHA), a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on developing and commercializing AAV-based gene therapies for the treatment of severe monogenic diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), today announced that, on April 1, 2024, the Compensation Committee of Taysha's Board of Directors granted three new employees, in the aggregate, options to purchase 140,000 shares of the Company's common stock in connection with their employment. The stock options were granted under the Taysha Gene Therapies, Inc. 2023 Inducement Plan as an inducement material to the individuals entering employment with Taysha in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The stock options have an exercise price of $2.84 per share, which is equal to the closing price of Taysha's common stock on the date of grant. The stock option has a 10-year term and will vest over four years, with 25% of the option vesting on the first anniversary of the vesting commencement date and the remaining 75% of the option vesting in equal monthly installments over the 36 months thereafter. Vesting of the stock option is subject to such employee's continued service to Taysha on each vesting date. About Taysha Gene TherapiesTaysha Gene Therapies (Nasdaq: TSHA) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on advancing adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapies for severe monogenic diseases of the central nervous system. Its lead clinical program TSHA-102 is in development for Rett syndrome, a rare neurodevelopmental disorder with no approved disease-modifying therapies that address the genetic root cause of the disease. With a singular focus on developing transformative medicines, Taysha aims to address severe unmet medical needs and dramatically improve the lives of patients and their caregivers. The Company’s management team has proven experience in gene therapy development and commercialization. Taysha leverages this experience, its manufacturing process and a clinically and commercially proven AAV9 capsid in an effort to rapidly translate treatments from bench to bedside. For more information, please visit www.tayshagtx.com. Company Contact:Hayleigh Collins Director, Head of Corporate Communications and Investor RelationsTaysha Gene Therapies, Inc.hcollins@tayshagtx.com Media Contact:Carolyn HawleyInizio EvokeCarolyn.hawley@inizioevoke.com

▎药明康德内容团队编辑随着Leqembi获批为阿尔茨海默病（AD）治疗领域带来的显著进展，神经病学（Neurology）领域近年来受到业界的高度关注。这一趋势不仅促进了大型交易的频繁发生，也推动了临床研究积极进展。近日，行业媒体Evaluate发布了一份行业报告，深入分析了神经病学领域内的交易动态和研发趋势。在今天的文章里，药明康德内容团队将结合公开资料，与读者分享其中的精彩内容。点击文末“阅读全文/Read more”，即可访问报告原文网址。近年神经病学领域的大型收购与交易趋势神经病学是一门专注于神经系统疾病的医学分支，涵盖了从退行性疾病（如阿尔茨海默病和帕金森病）到癫痫、抑郁症、偏头痛、疼痛管理，乃至众多罕见疾病的广泛领域。相较于如癌症这样的高关注度领域，神经病学在过去数十年里获得的投资相对缺乏，这导致了大量未竟医疗需求。这种投资不足的背景，结合持续的精神健康危机和有限的治疗选择，为神经病学领域带来了独特的市场机遇和挑战。图片来源：123RF2022-2023年间，神经病学领域的并购活动活跃，其中较为突出的例子包括百时美施贵宝（Bristol Myers Squibb）以约140亿美元收购Karuna Therapeutics，此举旨在将精神分裂症疗法KarXT（xanomeline-trospium）纳入其产品管线，该药物的新药申请（NDA）已被美国FDA受理，有望在今年获得批准。艾伯维（AbbVie）则在去年12月以约87亿美元收购Cerevel Therapeutics，进一步加强艾伯维在神经病学领域的布局。此外，渤健（Biogen）以约73亿美元收购Reata Pharmaceuticals，获得了其针对弗里德赖希共济失调症的药物Skyclarys（omaveloxolone）。辉瑞（Pfizer）公司也加大了在神经病学领域的投入，于2022年以总计约116亿美元收购Biohaven Pharmaceutical，增强了其偏头痛治疗产品组合。这一系列并购案例不仅展示了大型医药企业在神经病学领域的布局，也凸显了该领域积极的发展前景。尽管过去神经病学曾经面临投资不足的挑战，但如今它正吸引着大型药企的集中关注和大规模投资。▲2014-2024年间，神经病学领域內＞10亿美元的交易活动（药明康德内容团队制表，数据来源：参考资料[1]）回顾近年来神经病学领域的交易活动，显而易见的一种趋势是医药公司对于“低风险、后期研发阶段项目”的偏好。神经病学药物开发的历程充满了挑战，多个项目在研发过程中曾遭遇了不可预见的挫折，凸显了该领域内药物开发的固有不确定性和高风险。鉴于此，相较于那些仍处于探索初期、前景充满不确定性的新药项目，大部分医药公司更倾向于投资于那些已经进入到后期研发阶段、相对风险更低的项目。这种策略反映了企业对于风险管理的审慎态度，以及在资本投入时寻求更高确定性的倾向，有些公司甚至避免涉足处于中期临床研究阶段项目的风险，倾向于在药物研发进展到更加成熟和风险更可控的阶段进行投资或并购。除了频繁的并购活动外，近年来神经病学领域的融资活动也十分活跃。在2024年3月，Engrail Therapeutics完成了1.57亿美元的B轮融资。而就在不久前，Alto Neuroscience也成功完成了初次IPO交易。2023年9月，Neumora Therapeutics也实现了上市，募集资金高达2.5亿美元。Neumora的主要产品navacaprant目前正处于针对抑郁症的3期临床试验阶段，该公司预计这一关键试验结果将为预定于2025年递交的新药申请提供支持。这些融资活动凸显了产业在神经病学领域的高度活跃性，也展示该领域在医药研发和创新方面的巨大潜力。图片来源：123RF神经病学领域的新药研发趋势随着科技的不断进步以及我们对人脑复杂机制的深入理解，神经病学领域正处于一场创新疗法和药物开发的浪潮中。在此过程中，一些关键趋势尤为突出：首先，药物的选择性变得更加精准，能够特异性地调节特定的神经通路或受体，旨在降低副作用并提升治疗效果。其次，致幻药物在精神疾病治疗中的潜在应用正受到重新评估，特别是在治疗抑郁症和创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）方面。此外，人工智能（AI）技术正助力脑部药物的发现和开发，加速了新药候选分子的筛选和优化过程。同时，对新分子和创新作用机制的探索正不断扩大治疗工具箱，为患者提供更多的治疗选择。这些进展共同推动了神经病学领域的创新和发展，为未来治疗带来新的希望。1.新一代药物更具选择性在开发更有效和安全的中枢神经系统药物方面，药物选择性的提高是一个重要因素。以强生公司（Johnson & Johnson）的aticaprant和Neumora公司的navacaprant为例，这两种药物针对Kappa阿片受体（KORs）的选择性上优于对μ或δ等其他阿片受体亚型，展现了对KORs的高度特异性。这种特性使得这两种药物在治疗重度抑郁症的3期临床试验中表现出潜力，并且还有望扩展到治疗焦虑症和药物滥用等领域。这种对特定受体的高选择性不仅提高了治疗的针对性，也有望减少潜在的副作用。2.重新思考致幻药物的药用价值近来，迷幻药物的医疗用途得到了重新评估和认可。今年2月，美国FDA宣布受理Lykos Therapeutics（前MAPS公益公司）为3，4-亚甲二氧基甲基苯丙胺（MDMA）递交的新药申请，用于治疗PTSD。该申请还获得了FDA授予的优先审评资格，预计审评结果将于今年8月11日之前发布。新闻稿指出，若该药物获批，它将成为第一款MDMA辅助疗法，同时也是首个获批的迷幻药辅助疗法。此外，Compass Pathways公司的在研裸盖菇素（psilocybin，致幻蘑菇中的致幻成分）疗法在2期临床试验中取得了积极结果，目前已进入治疗耐药性抑郁症的3期临床试验。大麻也正式进入医疗领域。例如，Jazz Pharmaceuticals的癫痫发作药物Epidiolex（cannabidiol，大麻的一个主要非致幻成分）在2018年获得FDA的批准上市，治疗两类罕见而严重的癫痫。新闻稿指出，这是首款获美国FDA批准上市的含纯化大麻提取物的新药。人们对致幻剂疗法潜力的兴趣与日俱增，促使FDA在2023年年中起草了指南草案，以支持相关临床研究，这标志着迷幻药物作为治疗手段就正在逐步正规化和科学化。3.AI辅助神经药物开发2024年，Alto Neuroscience成功地募集到1.29亿美元上市。Alto公司以“人工智能驱动的大脑精准医疗”为其核心理念，专注于AI辅助精准药物开发。其成功的融资活动背后是基于该公司主打项目展示出的积极研究数据：公司的ALTO-300项目相关研究显示，采用脑电图（EEG）生物标志物辅助筛选的患者相较于未使用EEG筛选患者获得了更大的益处。在神经病学领域，精准医疗仍处于起步阶段。然而，新兴的测序技术、传感器工具以及更为强大的数据分析能力正助力科学家们深入解析大脑的复杂机制。值得关注的是，2024年初，美国FDA批准了一项名为BrainSee的人工智能临床测试，专门用于阿尔茨海默病。该测试结合大脑成像技术和认知评估，旨在预测患者从轻度认知障碍进展到痴呆症的可能性，标志着人工智能在神经病学领域应用的一大进步。图片来源：123RF4.新靶点，新机制随着基因研究在神经病学领域的深入，新的治疗靶点不断涌现。例如，Denali Therapeutics和渤健合作开发的LRRK2靶向抑制剂BIIB122/DNL151，目前处于治疗帕金森病的2b期试验阶段。另外，Alector Therapeutics正在与艾伯维合作进行一项2b期临床研究，评估其TREM2靶向疗法AL002用以治疗阿尔茨海默病的作用。此外，Alector还与GSK达成合作，共同开发两款progranulin靶向单抗AL001和AL101以治疗神经退行性疾病。Lexeo Therapeutics正在研发的基因疗法LX1001，旨在通过递送APOE2基因—一种具有保护作用的基因——来降低携带纯合APOE4基因患者罹患阿尔茨海默病的风险。该候选药物目前正在进行1/2期临床试验，初步研究数据表明，接受低剂量LX1001治疗的患者脑脊液中的APOE2蛋白表达增加，在超过12个月的随访期内，两名患者的脑脊液中tau蛋白和磷酸化tau蛋白水平与基线相比降低，这两种蛋白是反映阿尔茨海默病患者大脑关键病理变化的生物标志物。图片来源：123RF神经病学领域的弄潮儿在神经病学领域的创新浪潮中，众多公司凭借其独特的技术优势和丰富的产品线，促进了该领域的快速发展，并为治疗神经病学相关疾病提供了更广泛的选择。接下来，我们将介绍几家近年来专注于神经病学领域的公司。Neurocrine BiosciencesNeurocrine Biosciences专注于为患有神经性、神经内分泌性及神经精神疾病的患者开发新型治疗方案。该公司的产品组合多样化，包括已经获得FDA批准的Ingrezza，这是一款已获批用于治疗迟发性运动障碍和亨廷顿病相关舞蹈症的药物。除此之外，Neurocrine还拥有一系列正处于中到后期临床开发阶段的候选疗法。▲Neurocrine Biosciences在研管线（图片来源：Neurocrine Biosciences官网）Acadia PharmaceuticalsAcadia公司已有2款药物获得FDA批准，分别是Nuplazid（pimavanserin）和Daybue（trofinetide）。根据Acadia公司官网，pimavanserin是美国FDA批准的首个用于治疗帕金森病精神病相关幻觉和妄想症状的处方药。值得一提的是，该药物针对精神分裂症的阴性症状的适应症目前正处于3期临床研究中，此前公布的2期试验结果表明，当与现有抗精神病药物联合用药治疗精神分裂症患者时，该药物显著改善了患者在NSA-16量表上的表现。Acadia预计在2024年获得pimavanserin的3期研究的顶线结果。Daybue则是Acadia公司的第二款获批产品，它在2023年3月获得FDA批准用于治疗Rett综合征成人和2岁以上儿童患者，成为FDA批准的首款治疗Rett综合征的药物。▲Acadia Pharmaceuticals在研管线（图片来源：Acadia Pharmaceuticals官网）Alector TherapeuticsAlector公司的研发管线包含3个处在临床阶段的潜在“first-in-class”项目，这些项目吸引了包括GSK和艾伯维在内的大型医药公司的合作。其中，AL001和AL101是与GSK合作开发的两种新型单抗。AL001目前正在进行一项关键性3期临床试验，用于治疗因GRN基因突变而存在额颞叶痴呆（FTD）风险、或患有额颞叶痴呆的患者。而AL101目前则处于2期临床试验阶段，旨在治疗阿尔茨海默病。此外，Alector管线中的AL002是一种针对TREM2的在研人源化单抗，TREM2是散发性AD的一个重要遗传风险因素。该产品由Alector和艾伯维合作开发，目前正在一项2期临床试验中接受检验。▲Alector Therapeutics在研管线（图片来源：Alector Therapeutics官网）渤健渤健在神经病学领域拥有深厚的研发历史和广泛的产品组合，包括19款已经上市的产品，涵盖了多个重要的治疗领域。其中包括首款获得FDA完全批准的阿尔茨海默病疗法Leqembi，以及基于生物标志物加速批准的首款基于生物标志物加速批准的肌萎缩侧索硬化症（ALS）疗法Qalsody（tofersen）。渤健的研发管线中也不乏创新药物，如针对tau蛋白的反义寡核苷酸（ASO）疗法BIIB080，在针对轻度阿尔茨海默病患者的1b期临床试验中展现了积极结果，使其成为首款被证明可以减少tau蛋白聚集、并展现对患者临床结局有利的趋势的tau蛋白靶向药物。此外，渤健还正在开发针对LRRK2的小分子抑制剂BIIB122，展现了其在神经病学领域研发的广度与深度。Denali TherapeuticsDenali Therapeutics致力于开发治疗神经退行性疾病和溶酶体贮积症疗法。Denali拥有多样化的产品管线，其中多个项目已经步入中后期临床开发阶段。包含与渤健合作开发用于治疗帕金森病的LRRK2小分子抑制剂DNL151，与赛诺菲（Sanofi）合作研发用于治疗多发性硬化的RIPK1小分子抑制剂SAR443820/DNL788，以及基于Denali的转运载体平台技术构建的融合蛋白药物DNL310。DNL310可被成功递送到大脑从而缓解II型黏多糖贮积症（MPS II）的中枢神经系统症状。目前，DNL310正在2/3期临床试验中接受评估，Denali公司的目标是在今年完成2/3期临床试验的患者注册。大家都在看▲欲了解更多前沿技术在生物医药产业中的应用，请长按扫描上方二维码，即可访问“药明直播间”，观看相关话题的直播讨论与精彩回放参考资料：[1] EVALUATING: Neurology，Retrieved April 2, 2024 from https://www.evaluate.com/thought-leadership/evaluating-neurology/?utm_source=Eloqua&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=202403-CMP-TL-NEUROLOGY&utm_content=EVALPHARMA-EMN-TL-2403GL-NEUROLOGY-DLRT免责声明：药明康德内容团队专注介绍全球生物医药健康研究进展。本文仅作信息交流之目的，文中观点不代表药明康德立场，亦不代表药明康德支持或反对文中观点。本文也不是治疗方案推荐。如需获得治疗方案指导，请前往正规医院就诊。版权说明：本文来自药明康德内容团队，欢迎个人转发至朋友圈，谢绝媒体或机构未经授权以任何形式转载至其他平台。转载授权请在「药明康德」微信公众号回复“转载”，获取转载须知。分享，点赞，在看，聚焦全球生物医药健康创新