Alfred Maelicke, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Galantos Pharma (Germany)

Dr. Alfred Maelicke is CEO of Galantos Pharma, a drug development company founded in 2005 with the aim of solving the urgent medical need in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) for drugs combining both, efficient cognition enhancement and slowing down of disease progression. Rather than joining the band of companies that tried immunotherapeutic or other approaches aimed at removing excessive or misfolded extracellular ß-amyloid, we used as lead the plant alkaloid and marketed AD drug galantamine (Reminyl®, Razadyne®), and aimed at improving crucial properties of this natural cognition enhancing drug.  Galantos’ most advanced drug candidate Memogain® is a NCE and pro-drug of galantamine that according to preclinical tests is (i) free of any gastrointestinal side effects and (ii) partitions much more efficiently into the brain than does galantamine. In there it is enzymatically cleaved and releases the parent drug galantamine at dramatically enhanced bioavailability. GLP-preclinical development of Memogain® has been completed and the requirements for first-in-human clinical studies have been fulfilled. Memogain is expected to offer decisive improvements in medical benefit compared to all currently available AD drugs: it may produce larger and more sustained cognition enhancement, faster and stronger onset of efficacy, and significant slowing of disease progression. Because it does not cause any significant gastrointestinal side effects, Memogain will neither require slow up-titration of dose (as need all so called cholinesterase inibitor drugs), nor will dosing be limited by the level of adverse effects tolerated by the individual patient.

Galantos Pharma has recently been restructured with the aim of focusing all resources on clinical development of Memogain and rapid market introduction as the first drug for symptomatic and disease-modifying treatment of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease. For more information on Galantos, click here.

Charles K. Meshul, Ph.D.
Oregon Health & Science University Professor, Department of Behavioral Neuroscience and Pathology (OHSU) Research Biologist and Director, Electron Microscopy Facility (VA)

Dr. Meshul’s laboratory is mainly involved in investigating electron microscopic/immunocyto-chemical changes in synapses within the brain following various drug treatment procedures or lesions of the nigrostriatal pathway, as a model for Parkinson’s disease (PD), and correlating these findings with functional/protein changes using in vivo microdialysis/westerns, quantitative double labeling immuno-gold electron microscopy of corticostriatal and thalamostriatal glutamate synapses, and motor behaviors in mice. Using a new progressive mouse model of PD developed in his lab, by administering increasing doses of the toxin, MPTP, they have found that exposure of mice to a socially enriched environment can, after the initiation of the loss of dopamine, slow down or block the neurochemical and motor behavioral deficits due to continued treatment with MPTP. They are currently investigating 1.) the therapeutic affects of treadmill exercise in this same progressive MPTP model of PD in both young and aged mice, 2.) the effect of MPTP in a double floxed line of mice (Vgat ^flox/flox; Vglut2 ^flox/flox) in which either the motor cortex is activated or the subthalamic nucleus is inactivated by infusion of AAV-cre. Either treatment results in neuroprotection from dopamine loss in the striatum and substantia nigra, and 3.) the effect of a flavinoid derivative, which specifically activates the brain derived neurotrophic factor receptor, TrkB, on blocking the further loss of dopamine during continued MPTP treatment.

Mohammed Moin
Somru Bioscience

Somru Bioscience Inc. is an emerging biotechnology company dedicated to developing breakthrough antibody technology for
research, diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The company utilizes a unique and proprietary Somru™ technology which produces antibodies with superior binding affinity and bioactivity in a wide variety of biological assays in a short period of time. They also offer a wide range of quality reagents for research and diagnostics applications as well as biosimilar research and development.  In addition, they are developing a portfolio of “ready-to-use” kits for ultra-sensitive and highly specific detection of drug (innovator and biosimilar) and anti-drug (innovator and biosimilar) antibodies.

James L. Olds, Ph.D.
Director, Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study

Dr. James L. Olds received his bachelor’s of art degree in Chemistry from Amherst College in 1978 and a Ph.D. in neurosciences from the University of Michigan in 1987. He trained as a post-doctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology (LMCN), NINDS at the National Institutes of Health. Laboratory Chiefs of LMCN included, among others then, Dr. J. Craig Venter and Dr. Daniel L. Alkon. In 1994 Dr. Olds was appointed as a senior staff fellow in the newly formed Laboratory of Adaptive Systems (LAS), NINDS. After a 3 year stint in the nonprofit sector as Executive Director of the American Association of Anatomists, Olds accepted his current position in 1998 as Director at the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study. Concurrently, Dr. Olds is the Krasnow University Professor of Molecular Neuroscience and serves as chair of the Department of Molecular Neuroscience at Krasnow. He has an additional academic faculty appointment in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. In 2009, Olds was re-appointed to a 5 year term as editor-in-chief of The Biological Bulletin, one of this country’s oldest peer reviewed journals. Olds is additionally affiliated with the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, the oldest such institution in the United States. He was elected a member of the MBL Corporation in 1991. In a volunteer capacity, Olds has served on many professional and governmental bodies including serving a 3-year term on the Board of Directors of Americans for Medical Progress, where he was treasurer.  He is currently serving as chair of the Sandia National Laboratories’ Cognitive Sciences Review Board and additionally on Sandia’s Computer Science Board. Olds has been invited to speak nationally and internationally on topics ranging from the International Decade of the Mind Project to the ethical, legal and social issues embedded in neurotechnology. His blog Advanced Studies has covered these issues and others at length over the past six years.

Brandi Ormerod, Ph.D. Associate Professor in Biomedical Engineering Joint Faculty in Neuroscience, University of Florida

Dr. Brandi K. Ormerod obtained her B.Sc. (Honors) in Psychology from Queen’s University in 1998 where she studied the neural substrates of memory with Dr. Rick Beninger and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of British Columbia where she studied the hormonal regulation and function of adult neurogenesis with Dr. Liisa Galea. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University where she studied the effects of neuroinflammatory signaling on adult neurogenesis and cultured neural progenitor cells with Dr. Theo Palmer. Dr. Ormerod is currently an associate professor in the Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of Florida. Her laboratory focusses upon developing neural progenitor cell strategies for neural repair and upon discovering the functional role and regulation of hippocampal neurogenesis across lifespan, with recent emphasis upon how age-related dysregulation of neuroimmune signaling impacts cognition potentially through its effects on neurogenesis.

Michel Rathbone, M.B., Ch.B., Ph.D., FRCPC
Libramen Naturals

Libramen Naturals was formed recently to commercialize the internationally recognized, and highly successful research of Drs. Shucui Jiang and Michel Rathbone. The synergistic work of these laboratories focuses on the use of natural products to protect cells and tissues from injury and to stimulate their regeneration after damage. The lead product is a Chinese herbal mixture that has multiple components each designed to block biochemical pathways that contribute to the damage after spinal cord injury while enhancing pathways and processes that foster spinal cord regeneration. A second equally-promising product focuses on the cardiovascular system and stroke. Other products are in the pipeline.  Libramen Naturals has an exclusive arrangement with a Chinese company that sources the raw materials. Libramen naturals anticipates that it will be possible to bring the initial product to market within three years, and anticipates the pipeline to produce further products at 1.5 to 2 year intervals.

George Robertson, Ph.D.
Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University

Dr. George S. Robertson was jointly appointed as Professor and CIHR-Rx&D Chair in the Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology at Dalhousie University on October 1, 2002. His primary expertise is in the fields of neuropharmacology and apoptosis. After completing postdoctoral studies at the University of British Columbia with Dr. H.C. Fibiger in 1992, he was appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Ottawa and promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in 1996.  Dr. Robertson also has a strong background in the industrial sector having served as Director of the Neuroprotection Program for the biotechnology company Apoptogen Inc. (1996-1998) and subsequently as Head of the Department of Pharmacology at the Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research (1998-2002) in Kirkland, Quebec. Dr. Robertson’s primary research interests are the development of surrogate blood markers and treatments for psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. His research has been supported by grants and training awards from Genome Canada, Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), Atlantic Canada Innovation Fund, Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation, Canadian Stroke Network, Heart and Stroke Foundation (Ontario and Nova Scotia), Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s disease, Ontario Mental Health Foundation and the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.

Laurent Tillement, D. Pharm., Ph.D.
Scientific Advisor at Servier Canada Inc.

After receiving his D.Pharm. degree in Paris, France and his Ph.D. degree from Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA, he joined Servier Canada Inc. in 2011. Servier Canada Inc is the Canadian affiliate of Servier Research Group the leading French independent pharmaceutical company. Servier Research Group is established in 140 other countries, which represents a workforce of 20,000, including 3,000 in R&D. Each year, Servier Research Group reinvests 25% of its turnover in research and development. Servier Canada Inc is committed to the investment in research and development in Canada and Laurent Tillement is responsible for initiating Servier Research Group collaborative efforts. In addition Laurent Tillement is playing a role in the International Centre for Therapeutic Research which is responsible for conducting Phase I, II & III clinical trials in Canada with the objective of bringing-to-market new Servier pharmaceuticals. Servier Research Group intend to develop new drugs in Canada and make them available to Canadian patients by drawing on a supportive environment for biopharmaceutical research and, in particular, on a workforce with a very high-level of scientific skills.

G. Andre Turenne, M.B.A.
Head of Strategy & Business Development, Genzyme

Andre Turenne joined Genzyme in 2006 and currently oversees Genzyme’s Strategy and Business Development function. He is responsible for Genzyme’s global partnering, licensing, and acquisition activities. Formerly, he was Vice President, Head of Rare Disease Business Development, Senior Director, Head of Renal Commercial Operations and Director, Cardiometabolic and Renal Business Development. He has an M.B.A. from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Philippe Walker, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer, NEOMED 

Philippe Walker is the CSO at NEOMED where he is in charge of a team of seasoned Project Directors who jointly support the advancement of the NEOMED portfolio. He ensures that efficient project strategies are established and implemented to deliver high-quality drug candidates that meet multinational Pharma standards. Until June 2012, Philippe was Vice-President and Head of the AstraZeneca R&D Montreal research centre and member of AstraZeneca’s Global Neurosciences iMed leadership team. In 2010, Philippe was interim head of Neuroscience Worldwide Drug Discovery, overseeing the activities of a staff of 650 researchers (in Montreal, Stockholm and Wilmington). He has been on the Board of Directors of Arginetix and then Corridor Pharmaceuticals, representing the MediVenture Investment fund. Philippe is also Vice President of the Fonds de Recherche Québec – Santé, the main public funding agency for health care research in Quebec. Philippe is also a mentor for the BioSuccès Mentoring Network, an initiative sponsored by Montreal inVivo and the Quebec Government to provide mentors with solid expertise to emerging entrepreneurs in the life science sector. Philippe is also President of the Project Portfolio Evaluation committee of IRICoR, a valorization instrument for the “Institut de Recherche en Immunologie et Cancer” of the Université de Montréal. Philippe studied in Switzerland where he obtained his Ph.D. in Science in 1986. He spent 2 years at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. From 1988 to 1994, he established and directed a research group at the Division of Hypertension of the CHUV in Lausanne Switzerland where he obtained a START career grant from the Swiss National Fonds. For more information about NEOMED, click here.

Jackalina M. Van Kampen, Ph.D.
Director of Preclinical Research at Neurodyn Inc. 

Dr. Jackalina M. Van Kampen is currently Director of Preclinical Research at Neurodyn Inc. as well as Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biomedical Science. She came to Neurodyn from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine where she held the position of Assistant Professor of Molecular Neuroscience. Parkinson’s disease has been the main thrust of her career, beginning with graduate training under the supervision of Dr. A. Jon Stoessl, Director of the Pacific Parkinson’s Research Centre, and continuing through postdoctoral training with Dr. Harold Robertson, Research Director and co-founder of the Brain Repair Centre. She has established a research program focused primarily on neuroprotection and neuronal recovery in models of neurodegenerative disease and currently holds a CIHR grant, studying the neurorestorative potential of adult neurogenesis in a rodent model of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Van Kampen has also been working with Neurodyn to develop novel neuroprotective therapies for various neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and ALS. For more information on Neurodyn, click here.

Christine Vande Velde, Ph.D.
CIHR New Investigator
Associate Professor Department of Neurosciences, Université de Montréal

Dr. Vande Velde is a cell biologist with a focus on the pathogenic mechanisms underlying amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. She obtained her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Manitoba in 2001 where, with Dr. Arnold Greenberg, she described a novel programmed cell death mechanism mediated by a BCL-2 family member. She then pursued post-doctoral studies at the University of California, San Diego/Ludwig Institute in the laboratory of Dr. Don Cleveland where she developed an expertise in working with SOD1 rodent models of ALS and was involved in the initial characterization of Alsin/ALS2. She has made several contributions documenting the impact of misfolded SOD1 on mitochondrial function. In 2007, Dr. Vande Velde established her laboratory at the CHUM Research Center, an affiliate of the Université de Montréal, to explore novel pathways and genes in ALS pathogenesis. Her current work features TDP-43 and FUS in stress granule dynamics as well as misfolded SOD1 and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Francisca Vincente, Ph.D.
Area Head of Screening and Target Validation

Fundación MEDINA is a Research Organization focused on the discovery of innovative medicines and biomarkers as well as new industrial products for unmet needs.

MEDINA focuses its research activities on five different areas:

• discovery of new leads for drug development  based on small molecule natural products
• safety pharmacology and early toxicology liabilities of drugs and other products
• development and analysis of ingredients for the nutrition and cosmetics fields.
• discovery and development of new enzyme catalysts and genetic elements for industrial use.
• high sensitivity clinical analytics, pharmacokinetics and metabolomic profiling for clinical / translational research.

MEDINA offers collaborators access to its industry-trained scientific team,  its unique library of natural products, one of the largest and most productive in recent history, and its high throughput /high content bioassay screening and  chemistry / chromatography/ spectrometry platforms.

David Westaway, Ph.D.
Professor and Director Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases University of Alberta

Dr. David Westaway is a molecular biologist with a special interest in the use of genetically engineered “transgenic” mice to recreate and understand human neurologic disorders. After obtaining PhD in Biochemistry at the University of London he completed postdoctoral training with two Nobel Laureates, Harold Varmus and Stanley Prusiner, both at the University of California San Francisco.  In 1994 Dr. Westaway moved to the Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease at the University of Toronto. There his lab created the TgCRND8 line of transgenic mice, a robust model of early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease. TgCRND8 mice are widely used in over forty Alzheimer’s Disease labs in the USA and Europe, as well as in the drug development programs of several pharmaceutical companies. In 2006 Dr. Westaway moved to the University of Alberta where he is appointed as Professor (Neurology) and Director of the Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases. Dr. Westaway’s research in prion biology has focused on the genetic basis of disease susceptibility, metal-binding properties of PrP, and two new members of the PrP protein family called doppel and shadoo.  His current work is directed towards an understanding of 1) the roles of the PrP, shadoo and chaperones in prion disease, 2) common features in the pathogenesis of prion disease and Alzheimer’s Disease and 3) novel roles of cellular prion proteins in protecting neurons against irreversible damage.

Michael J. Zigmond, Ph.D
Professor of Neurology University of Pittsburgh

Over the past year, Dr. Zigmond and his research team have continued their studies of cellular and animal models to examine Parkinson’s disease (PD), which they believe is a multi-factorial disorder. A major focus of the lab is the role of intracellular signaling cascades in determining the viability of dopamine (DA) neurons. They hypothesize, for example, that trophic factors such as GDNF and oxidative stress can both stimulate intracellular survival cascades, including those involving MAP kinases. They further believe that endogenous trophic factor expression can be enhanced by exercise which in turn can be neuroprotective. And they have evidence that protection also can derive from acute exposure to low levels of a neurotoxin, a form of preconditioning. Last year their work included studies of the impact of oxidative stress induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), a DA analogue that is concentrated in DA cells and rapidly breaks down to form reactive oxygen species. Results from these and other studies suggest that DA neurons react to stress by initiating a set of protective responses. Learning more about these responses may provide insights into new treatment modalities for PD. In the coming year, Dr. Zigmond will continue to focus on understanding the strategies DA neurons use to reduce their vulnerability to intracellular stress. For example, studies are underway to determine if inhibition of trophic actor action or of kinase activation will block neuroprotection seen with exercise or GDNF or increase 6-OHDA toxicity. Some of these studies involve the preparation of molecular biological tools that maintain kinases in a constitutively or dominant negative state and/or localize a kinase to the cytoplasm or the nucleus. In addition, histochemical methods are being developed to quantify kinase levels in different cellular compartments of identified cells. Dr. Zigmond also is involved in the influence of environmental enrichment on Parkinson’s Disease and age-related decline and working with decision scientists to try to understand why we make such poor decisions about our lifestyle.