Asceneuron has appointed a new member to its Board of Directors. The developer of orally bioavailable modulators of tau for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, has hired Dr Eric Yuen.
Yuen has over 25 years of clinical development experience in central nervous system (CNS) pathologies and has led multiple Phase I-IV development programs for biologics and small molecules obtaining numerous regulatory approvals. He is currently CMO at Talee Bio Inc which he co-founded in addition to RiboNova Inc.
Dr Yuen’s industry experience began at Merck Sharp & Dohme (known as Merck & Co in the US) as Director of Clinical Research, where he focused on CNS and pain indications. He then spent nine years at Johnson & Johnson finally as VP of Clinical Development responsible for the portfolio of monoclonal antibodies and vaccines targeting Alzheimer’s disease. He has since held senior positions in several biotech companies including as CMO at Inozyme Pharma and Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals.
Before joining the industry, Dr Yuen was an Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Washington, where he conducted clinical research in rare CNS disorders. Dr Yuen received his MD from the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago and completed his neurology training at the University of California at San Francisco. He holds a BSc in Physics and Biology with Academic Distinction from Stanford University.
Peter Van Vlasselaer, Chairman of the Board of Asceneuron, said: “I would like to welcome Eric to the Board of Directors. His outstanding track record and expertise in CNS drug development will be invaluable as Asceneuron initiates later stage clinical development in the tau pathology space.”
Dirk Beher, CEO and Founder of Asceneuron, added: “Asceneuron is making rapid progress in the clinical development of orally-bioavailable tau modifiers and we are delighted to welcome such a highly experienced CNS clinician to the Board of Directors. Eric’s know-how will add tremendous value to Asceneuron’s development and our ultimate goal of bringing urgently needed medicines to patients.”
Late last year the company appointed CNS specialist Dr Thomas C Wessel as CMO in its US-based team. Asceneuron recently completed a clinical trial with ASN120290 to quantify target engagement in the human brain using positron emission tomography (PET) the results of which will guide dose selection for a trial in PSP planned for later this year.
