(MENAFN- GlobeNewsWire - Nasdaq) BOSTON, Aug. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cerevance, a leading clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing precision novel therapeutics for central nervous system (CNS) diseases, has appointed Dr. Sagar Vaidya, M.D. Ph.D. as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Vaidya brings a wealth of experience in drug development, clinical research, and medical affairs, with a distinguished track record in advancing therapeutic programs for severe and life-threatening diseases.
"We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Vaidya to the Cerevance team as we prepare to launch our Phase 3 clinical trial of solengepras (CVN424) for Parkinson's disease," said Craig Thompson, CEO of Cerevance. "His extensive expertise in CNS disorders and proven leadership in drug development will be instrumental as we continue to advance our pipeline of innovative therapies aimed at addressing unmet medical needs."
Dr. Vaidya joins Cerevance from Travere Therapeutics, where he served as Vice President of Clinical Development. At Travere Therapeutics, he provided clinical and organizational leadership for the CNS and metabolism pipeline, overseeing several key programs from early-stage development to late-stage clinical trials. His strategic direction led to significant milestones, including the positive read-out of a Phase 1/2 proof-of-concept study for pegtibatinase and the advancement of bile acid products through Phase 3.
"I am honored to join Cerevance at such an exciting time in the company's growth," said Dr. Vaidya. "I look forward to working with the talented team at Cerevance to develop and deliver transformative new therapies for people and families suffering from CNS disorders."
Dr. Vaidya's career spans over 20 years across academia and the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, where he has held multiple leadership roles. At Sangamo Therapeutics, he helped establish the clinical development division, leading the company's first engineered cell therapy product for beta-thalassemia and spearheaded in vivo genome editing clinical trials for lysosomal storage diseases. At BioMarin, he played a key role in the development of VOXOGOTM, the first approved therapy for achondroplasia, the most common cause of dwarfism. His efforts in regulatory engagements and business development have consistently driven program successes and corporate growth.
In addition to his industry accomplishments, Dr. Vaidya has contributed significantly to academia and public health. He serves as a Volunteer Assistant Clinical Professor at the UCSD Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, providing urgent care to underserved patients and mentoring medical students.
Dr. Vaidya completed his Infectious Diseases fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, Internal Medicine/Pediatrics residency at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, and received his M.D./Ph.D. degrees from David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. Vaidya has several patents related to gene therapy and enzyme replacement therapies and is extensively published in peer-reviewed literature.
About Cerevance
Cerevance is focused on the development of precision treatments for central nervous system (CNS) disorders, including chronic neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Utilizing a large and growing repository of over 15,000 human brain tissue samples, Cerevance is generating an unprecedented level of expression and epigenetic data thereby enabling the company to identify the most promising targets for the next generation of treatments for CNS disorders.
The company uses its proprietary Nuclear Enriched Transcript Sort sequencing (NETSseq) platform and advanced machine learning techniques to uncover the gene expression profiles of select cell types to identify novel targets that are uniquely expressed in relevant circuits affected by diseases or are altered in disease states. With the information obtained from its research, combined with the expertise of its team of scientists and drug developers, Cerevance is advancing multiple therapeutics through clinical development, with solengepras (CVN424), CVN766, and CVN293 being the furthest along in the pipeline. Solengepras (CVN424) is a first-in-class non-dopamine therapy that shows promise in improving both motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease and may also have disease-delaying effects. CVN766 is a potent and highly selective antagonist of the orexin 1 receptor which may benefit various psychiatric conditions including schizophrenia, anxiety/panic, binge eating/obesity, substance use disorder, and Prader-Willi Syndrome. CVN293 is a novel blocker of potassium efflux in glia, regulating the inflammasome in individuals living with neurodegenerative diseases.
Cerevance's robust pipeline aims to transform the lives of patients affected by CNS diseases.
Contacts
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