Herantis Pharma announces an internationally renowned Scientific Advisory Board with Professor Jonathan Knowles as Chairman
Herantis Pharma announces an internationally renowned Scientific Advisory Board with Professor Jonathan Knowles as Chairman
Herantis Pharma Plc Company release 18 March 2015 at 10:00 am Herantis Pharma Plc has formed a Scientific Advisory Board of internationally renowned drug development professionals. The Scientific Advisory Board or its subgroups will convene frequently or its members may support the drug development programs of Herantis through other means. Professor Jonathan Knowles has accepted his nomination as Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board. "Scientific research in Finland is outstanding in a number of fields of medicine", says professor Knowles. "It is important that there are focused approaches to develop the results of this innovative research into products that will benefit patients. I hope that the Herantis Scientific Advisory Board will help further strengthen this collaboration between industry and academia in the interests of patients around the world." Professor Knowles has been a Board member of Herantis since 2009. Previously he has served as President of group research and executive committee member at Roche, member of the Genentech Board, the founding Chairman of the EU's Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), and more recently as FiDiPro Professor at FIMM, University of Helsinki, visiting professor at Oxford University and professor emeritus at EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne). He was awarded the Scrip's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 for his long academic and industry career which has been distinguished by his passion for personalized medicine. Four other members have been nominated in the Scientific Advisory Board of Herantis: Academy Professor Kari Alitalo, Director of the Centre of Excellence on Translational Cancer Biology in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Helsinki. Professor Alitalo is one of the world's leading researchers in oncogenes and mechanisms of angiogenesis and e.g. member of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. He has received several international science prizes including the In-Bev Baillet Latour Health Prize and the Dr. A.H.Heineken Prize for Medicine by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Professor Seppo Kaakkola, PhD and medical doctor specialized in Parkinson's Disease where he has made a significant career as a widely published researcher and in drug development as well as voluntary work in Parkinson's Disease patient associations. Professor Kaakkola is Chief Physician of the neurology department of the Helsinki University Central Hospital. Professor Mart Saarma, Long-time director of the Institute of Biotechnology of the University of Helsinki and one of the most valued researchers of neurotrophic factors in the world. Professor Saarma has been awarded several international science prizes including the Nordic Science Prize by Lundbeck Foundation. He is a member of e.g. the EMBO Council and the Estonian Academy of Sciences, and was appointed Vice President of the European Research Council since 2015. Doctor Alan Whone, Senior researcher at the University of Bristol specialized in motor dysfunctions such as Parkinson's Disease, and Consulting Neurologist at the Frenchay Hospital in Bristol, UK. Among Dr. Whone's current research projects are clinical studies related to Deep Brain Stimulation and neurotrophic factors for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. Herantis Pharma intends to continue to invite both permanent and temporary members in its Scientific Advisory Board based on the needs in the company's development programs. Further information: Herantis Pharma Plc, Pekka Simula, CEO, telephone: +358 40 7300 445 Company web site: www.herantis.com Certified Advisor: UB Capital Oy, telephone: +358 9 2538 0225 About Herantis Pharma Plc Herantis Pharma Plc is a pharmaceutical company specialised in new drug research and development. The company focuses on diseases with an unmet clinical need. These diseases include for example dry eye syndrome, Parkinson's disease, and secondary lymphedema. We believe our drugs are the first or best in their class and have the potential to change treatment strategies of diseases. The shares of Herantis Pharma Plc are listed on the First North Finland marketplace run by NASDAQ Helsinki stock exchange.