• Serial biotech entrepreneur joins leading small molecule tau modulation company

Lausanne, SWITZERLAND and Cambridge, MA, USA, January 17, 2019 – Asceneuron, an emerging leader in the development of orally bioavailable modulators of tau pathology for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, today announces the appointment of Peter Van Vlasselaer as Chair of the Board of Directors.

Peter Van Vlasselaer, PhD has over 20 years executive and entrepreneurial experience in the biotech industry. He was most recently the Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of ARMO Biosciences, Inc. which shortly after its public offering (Nasdaq: ARMO) was acquired by Eli Lilly. Prior to this, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of iPierian (acquired by BMS), ARRESTO (acquired by Gilead) and AVIDIA (acquired by AMGEN). In addition to founding ARMO, Dr. Van Vlasselaer was the founder of ARRESTO, co-founder of TrueNorth (acquired by Bioverativ) and was a member of the start-up teams of InterMune (ITMN) and Dendreon (DNDN). He currently serves on the boards of BLADE Therapeutics, Comet Therapeutics and RGENIX. Dr. Van Vlasselaer has a degree in Zoology and a PhD in Immunology from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. He was a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Division of Immunology and Rheumatology at Stanford University Medical School and DNAX Research Institute. Dr. Van Vlasselaer has authored several peer reviewed scientific publications and book chapters and he is an inventor on multiple patents. 

Dirk Beher, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Asceneuron, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Peter Van Vlasselaer to the Board. His extensive experience in all aspects of biotechnology, drug and corporate development will be invaluable as the Company progresses its orally-bioavailable tau modifiers through clinical development. With Peter’s addition to the board, our expanded US presence, and commitment to tau, Asceneuron is well positioned to revolutionize the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.” 

Peter Van Vlasselaer, new Chairman of Asceneuron, added:
“There is a strong industry and scientific interest in tau approaches to Alzheimer’s disease and orphan tauopathies such as progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). I believe Asceneuron’s technology represents a significant opportunity in the next generation of drugs that could potentially transform the treatment of PSP and other tau-related neurodegenerative diseases. These disorders have devastating outcomes for patients and their families. I look forward to maximising the potential of these innovative new treatments and support the Company through this important phase of growth.” 

Asceneuron’s lead program ASN120290 is a small molecule inhibitor of the enzyme O-GlcNAcase. Based on its unique mechanism of action, ASN120290 has the potential to become a first in class treatment for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and other tau-related dementias.
The company recently announced the appointment of CNS specialist Dr Thomas C. Wessel as Chief Medical Officer. A clinical trial is ongoing with ASN120290 to quantify target engagement in the human brain using positron emission tomography (PET) the results of which will guide dose selection for an efficacy trial in PSP planned for later this year. 

• Appoints CNS specialist and establishes US presence with new office in Cambridge, MA

Lausanne, SWITZERLAND and Cambridge, MA, USA, December 6, 2018 – Asceneuron, an emerging leader in the development of innovative small molecules for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, announced today the appointment of Thomas C. Wessel, MD, PhD, as Chief Medical Officer. Tom has over 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and will be responsible for progressing the development of Asceneuron’s lead program ASN120290 and a pipeline of novel small molecules through the clinic. Tom will be based at Asceneuron’s new offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he will lead all regulatory and clinical development activities as part of the company’s further expansion in the United States.

Tom joins Asceneuron from Boston-based Flex Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLKS), where he was Chief Medical Officer. Tom is a board-certified neurologist with extensive drug development experience, including being the medical lead for three CNS products approved in the United States: Razadyne®, Lunesta® and Ampyra®. Prior to Flex Pharma, Tom was the Chief Medical Officer at Acorda Therapeutics, Senior Vice President of Clinical Research at Sepracor, and worked on several CNS projects at Janssen Pharmaceutica in Europe and the United States. Tom received his MD from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich and his PhD in experimental neurobiology at the Max-Planck-Institute for Psychiatry in Martinsried, Germany. He completed his residency in neurology at New York Hospital and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (Cornell University Medical Center) where he remained on the faculty for several years as an Instructor and Assistant Professor before joining the industry. 

Dirk Beher, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Asceneuron, commented:
“Our tau approach has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and we are very happy to add Tom with his high caliber experience to our team. His expertise and outstanding track record in CNS drug development will help Asceneuron progress its orally-bioavailable tau modifiers through clinical development in Europe, Canada and the United States. We very much look forward to working with Tom to address the high unmet medical need in tau-related dementias and related diseases.” 

Tom Wessel, newly appointed Chief Medical Officer of Asceneuron, added:
“Asceneuron is a leader in the development of therapies focusing on the tau protein and is at a very promising stage of growth. The team at Asceneuron has recently generated very compelling data which promise to lead to novel treatments for CNS diseases involving tau pathologies including progressive supranuclear palsy, frontotemporal dementias, and Alzheimer’s disease. I am delighted to be working with a highly experienced team and a strong board at Asceneuron as we bring our first-in-class small-molecule therapeutics to patients.” 

Asceneuron announced last month it had commenced a new clinical trial of its lead program, ASN120290. The study aims to quantify target engagement of ASN120290 in the human brain using positron emission tomography (PET) to help guide dose selection for a planned clinical efficacy trial in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rapidly progressing rare neurodegenerative disorder. ASN120290 has the potential to become a first-in-class treatment for PSP, and other tau-related dementias.

• Major milestone in development of novel treatment for progressive supranuclear palsy and other tau-related dementias

Asceneuron SA, an emerging leader in the development of innovative small molecules for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, announced today it has commenced a new clinical trial of its lead asset, ASN120290. The study aims to quantify target engagement of ASN120290 in the human brain using positron emission tomography (PET) to help guide dose selection for a planned clinical efficacy trial in PSP.  ASN120290 has the potential to become a first-in-class treatment for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rapidly progressing rare neurodegenerative disorder, and other tau-related dementias.

ASN120290 is a selective inhibitor of the O-GlcNAcase enzyme and was recently granted Orphan Drug Designation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of PSP. Its therapeutic potential has been demonstrated in preclinical studies with a profound reduction in the accumulation of toxic aggregates of the tau protein into neurofibrillary tangles. Neurofibrillary tangles are now widely recognized as the main cause of neurodegeneration and clinical symptoms in the majority of dementia cases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). 

Dirk Beher, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Asceneuron, commented: “The application of PET imaging to demonstrate that a drug molecule reaches its intended therapeutic target in the brains of living human beings has become best practice in CNS drug discovery. PET imaging provides tremendous value to accelerate clinical development programs. The PET imaging data will be critical for dose selection in subsequent studies with ASN120290. We are excited about this new clinical trial with ASN120290 which demonstrates our continuing commitment to bring urgently needed treatments to patients with PSP and other tau-related neurodegenerative diseases.” 

PET imaging is a non-invasive method to quantify the binding of ASN120290 to the O GlcNAcase enzyme in the living human brain. In this study, a specific enzyme inhibitor-derived imaging agent (PET tracer) will be administered either alone or after a pre-dose of ASN120290 in healthy volunteers. Once the PET tracer is introduced into the bloodstream, it crosses the blood-brain barrier and binds directly to the O-GlcNAcase enzyme inside brain cells. When ASN120290 is given prior to the tracer, it binds to the same enzyme in the brain thereby blocking the binding of the subsequently administered PET tracer. This decrease of PET tracer binding can be quantified, thereby allowing to calculate O-GlcNAcase enzyme occupancy by ASN120290.