Industry Veteran Joins to Expand Development of First-in-Class Treatments for Neurodegenerative & Cardiovascular Diseases
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CNS Protein Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company developing first-in-class disease–modifying treatments that address the underlying cause of cell death associated with a wide range of diseases, has completed a corporate name change to Amarantus Therapeutics, Inc. (“Amarantus”) and appointed prominent biotechnology industry executive, Martin D. Cleary, as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Cleary succeeds Co-founder Gerald E. Commissiong, who has served as CEO since 2008.
Mr. Commissiong, who will remain with Amarantus as Chief Business Officer, commented, “Derived from the Latin ‘amarantus’, our corporate name means ‘one that does not wither’.” The rebranding and new leadership reflect the Company’s new strategy to apply its proprietary platform technology to develop its first novel high-potential drug candidate AMRS001 to address the apoptotic pathway associated with a wide range of diseases. AMRS001 is a highly potent growth factor in development for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and Myocardial Infarction.
Mr. Cleary brings nearly three decades of leadership and operational experience in established and early stage biotech companies to Amarantus. He has a history of consistently delivering financial returns to investors. Most recently, he served as President & CEO of Juvaris BioTherapeutics, Inc., a vaccine company that he founded in 2003. Previously, Mr. Cleary was President, CEO & Director of Genteric, Inc; President, CEO & Co-founder of CardioGene Therapeutics; President, CEO & Co-founder of Theragen; Group Vice President & CFO of Cytogen Corp; and Vice President of Operations at Johnson & Johnson’s IOLab.
“Martin is a seasoned leader with a proven track record of building successful companies,” said John W. Commissiong, Ph.D., Co-founder of Amarantus and the scientist who discovered MANF, the patent-pending human growth factor known as AMRS001. “We are fortunate to have Martin lead our team as we develop and implement our new strategy.”
“I am thrilled to join Amarantus. Together, we will execute our plan to develop disease-modifying treatments that address the apoptotic pathway, which is associated with a wide range of diseases,” said Mr. Cleary. “I was attracted to Amarantus because of the amazing potential of the lead protein, AMRS001, to treat multiple diseases with a single protein. In addition, the independent verification of its potential in major scientific journals, its strong patent position, and the potential for the discovery of several other novel proteins and their derivatives from the application of our proprietary Discovery Engine for Secreted Proteins (“DESP”) were pivotal in my decision to join the program.”
About Amarantus Therapeutics, Inc.
Amarantus Therapeutics, Inc., formerly known as CNS Protein Therapeutics, is a privately-held biotechnology company developing first-in-class disease–modifying treatments that address the underlying cause of cell death, known as apoptosis, associated with a wide range of diseases, including but not limited to, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular. The Company’s most advanced drug candidate, AMRS001, is a growth factor indicated for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and Myocardial Infarction. Currently incubating at the Parkinson’s Institute, Amarantus Therapeutics is seeking to raise a $1 million investment as a bridge to a $15 million Series A that it will use to advance its lead programs in Parkinson’s and Myocardial Infarction into clinical development. www.amarantustherapeutics.com
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Contacts
College Hill, Inc. for Amarantus Therapeutics, Inc. Erik Clausen or Kena Hudson, 415-230-5385 Erik.Clausen@CollegeHill.com Kena.Hudson@CollegeHill.com
