Prothena Announces Appointment of Wagner Zago, PhD as Chief Scientific Officer
June 12 2017 - 9:00AM
DUBLIN, Ireland, June 12, 2017
(GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 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
This
announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf
of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.
The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely
responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the
information contained therein.
Source: Prothena Corporation plc via Globenewswire
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