Prothena Announces Appointment of Wagner Zago, PhD as Chief Scientific Officer
June 12 2017 - 9:00AM
Prothena Corporation plc (NASDAQ:PRTA), a late-stage clinical
biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and
commercialization of novel protein immunotherapies, announced today
the appointment of Wagner Zago, PhD, as Chief Scientific Officer
(CSO). Dr. Zago, who has been Prothena’s Head of Research since
2015, will have responsibility for defining and executing the
company’s research strategy and advancing the company’s drug
discovery pipeline.
"Wagner is a prolific and talented scientist
whose expertise has been central to Prothena’s ability to build a
diverse pipeline of internally discovered first-in-class
therapies,” stated Gene Kinney, PhD, President and Chief Executive
Officer of Prothena. “His appointment to the position of CSO
reflects our deeply held commitment to our scientific roots and the
continued discovery of novel therapies based on our expertise in
protein misfolding and cell adhesion. Beyond his exceptional and
widely respected scientific talent, Wagner brings tremendous
leadership and strategic planning capabilities to our management
team that will advance our capacity to develop innovative
medicines.”
Dr. Zago joined Prothena in 2012 when the
company was founded after spinning out of Elan Pharmaceuticals,
first as Head of Pharmacology and Neuropathology and more recently
as Vice President, Head of Research. During his tenure at Prothena,
he has led teams that have built a strong discovery pipeline and
advanced four programs based on novel mechanisms through discovery
and preclinical development into the clinic. Dr. Zago holds several
key patents and has published broadly in the areas of protein
immunotherapy and central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Before
Prothena, he was Principal Scientist at Elan Pharmaceuticals
performing research aimed at developing new therapeutics for CNS
disorders, including beta amyloid-targeted therapies and supportive
research for the development of natalizumab, which was
commercialized by Biogen for relapsing multiple sclerosis. While in
this position he also served as a Scientist at Janssen Alzheimer
Immunotherapy, where he made significant discoveries about vascular
changes associated with anti-beta amyloid immunotherapy.
Previously, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of
California – San Diego and the Burnham Institute. Dr. Zago received
his PhD in Pharmacology at the Universidade de Sao Paulo,
Brazil.
About Prothena
Prothena Corporation plc is a global, late-stage
clinical biotechnology company establishing fully-integrated
research, development and commercial capabilities. Fueled by its
deep scientific understanding built over decades of research in
protein misfolding and cell adhesion — the root causes of many
serious or currently untreatable amyloid and inflammatory diseases
— Prothena seeks to fundamentally change the course of progressive
diseases associated with this biology. The Company’s pipeline of
antibody therapeutic candidates targets a number of indications
including AL amyloidosis (NEOD001), Parkinson’s disease and other
related synucleinopathies (PRX002/RG7935), inflammatory diseases,
including psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PRX003), and ATTR
amyloidosis (PRX004). The Company continues discovery of additional
novel therapeutic candidates where its deep scientific
understanding of disease pathology can be leveraged. For more
information, please visit the Company’s website
at www.prothena.com
Media & Investor Contact:
Ellen Rose, Head of Communications
650-922-2405, ellen.rose@prothena.com
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