Is Alzheimer’s R&D finally moving past the crossroads?

Over the next few months, we’re going to find out if the first new drug in many years can be approved for Alzheimer’s. Whatever comes of that initiative, though, there’s going to be much, much more to do for patients. And there is a long line of companies and scientists who are working harder than ever to accomplish that. Our round-table includes some of the top people in the field. It should prove to be a compelling discussion.

Gene Kinney

President and Chief Executive Officer, Prothena Corporation plc

Dr. Kinney has served as the President and CEO of Prothena Corporation plc since September 2016. Dr. Kinney is a member of Prothena’s founding leadership team, and between 2012 and 2016 held various positions such as Chief Operating Officer, Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Research and Development. Before joining Prothena, Dr. Kinney held positions with Elan Pharmaceuticals Inc., including Senior Vice President of Pharmacological Sciences (2011 to 2012), and Vice President, Pharmacology (2009 to 2011). During that time, Dr. Kinney also served as Head of Nonclinical Research at Janssen Alzheimer’s Immunotherapy. Before joining Elan, Dr. Kinney held several senior positions at Merck Research Laboratories and Bristol-Myers Squibb, and was an Assistant Professor at the Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Kinney earned his B.A. from Bloomsburg University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Florida Atlantic University. Dr. Kinney has also served on the Prothena Board since September 2016.

B. Joy Snider

Professor of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

Dr. Snider, M.D., Ph.D., received a B.A. in Biology from Northwestern University in 1979, then returned to Texas to the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, completing her M.D. and Ph.D. (in Biochemistry) in 1989. Dr. Snider completed neurology residency at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas and joined the Neurology Department at Washington University in 1993 as a fellow, initially with a focus on mechanisms of neuronal injury in experimental models but more recently in clinical research. Dr. Snider’s primary focus is on the diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, specifically dementing disorders. She works with colleagues at the Knight ADRC on longitudinal research studies in aging and dementia and directs the Knight ADRC Clinical Trials Unit, where she leads a team conducting clinical therapeutic trials for people with Alzheimer disease and other dementias. Current interests include studying use of fluid and imaging biomarkers in clinical practice, specifically the Memory Diagnostic Center, where she serves as Medical Director.

Dr. Snider is also interested in neurology education and serves as the Program Director for the Adult Neurology Residency at Washington University/Barnes Jewish Hospital and directs resident rotations at the Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center (KADRC). She works on several programs to support trainees pursuing careers in dementia research. She co-leads the Knight ADRC Research Education Core and is the PI for the Knight ADRC T32 training grant.

Rachelle Doody

Global Head of Neurodegeneration and Franchise Head in Product Development, Roche Pharmaceuticals/Genentech

Rachelle Doody, M.D., Ph.D., is the global head of neurodegeneration and franchise head in product development at Roche Pharmaceuticals and its subsidiary, Genentech. As part of Roche, she oversees late-stage development of drugs for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Doody specialized in neurology and psychiatry and trained at Baylor College of Medicine and McGill University. While at Baylor College of Medicine, she founded and directed the Alzheimer’s disease and Memory Disorders Center and was the Effie Marie Cain Chair in Alzheimer’s Disease Research. Doody has served on steering committees for the National Institutes of Health-funded Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study, Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, and the executive committee for the Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute. For over 25 years, Dr. Doody has worked with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in the design and execution of trials for cognitive and behavioral treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Doody has published over 200 original articles in this field. In her role as a practicing neurologist, Doody was elected to the Best Doctors in America list from 1996 to 2016. She has received many awards from professional and civic groups, including the Distinguished Alumni Award from Rice University in 2009 and the Distinguished Faculty Award from Baylor College of Medicine in 2011.

Lon Schneider

Professor of Psychiatry & the Behavioral Sciences, Della Martin Chair, KECK SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Lon S. Schneider, MD, MS, is professor of psychiatry, neurology, and gerontology at the Keck School of Medicine and Leonard Davis School of Gerontology of the University of Southern California; and holds the Della Martin Chair of Psychiatry and Neuroscience. He directs the USC California Alzheimer’s Disease Center (California Department of Health Services), the Geriatric Studies Center, and co-directs the clinical core of the USC NIA Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. He holds a master’s degree in applied biometry and epidemiology. His work involves treatment development with novel metabolic and neuroregenerative compounds, outcomes assessment, and approaches to modelling, clinical trials methods and simulations, and, recently, in silico screening of medications for slowing Alzheimer’s disease. He is an associate editor or editorial board member of several publications, and serves on The Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention, and care. He is a Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.

Guojun Bu

Chief Scientific Officer, SciNeuro

Dr. Bu is the Chief Scientific Officer at SciNeuro. He was previously the chair of Department of Neuroscience and an endowed professor at Mayo Clinic. Prior to joining Mayo Clinic in 2010, Dr. Bu was a professor of cell biology and neuroscience at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Dr. Bu is a world leader in studying the neurobiology of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias with a specific focus on understanding why APOE4 is a strong genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and how this gene and related pathways can be targeted for therapy using animal models, iPSC-based cellular and organoid models, and human biospecimens. His interests in dementia research also include immune modulation, mechanisms of proteinopathy, and vascular contributions to Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Bu has received numerous honors and awards including the Zenith Fellows Award from the Alzheimer’s Association, the Established Investigator Award from the American Heart Association, a MERIT award from NIH/NIA, and the MetLife Foundation Award for Medical Research in Alzheimer’s disease. He is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In addition to serving as the Editor-in- Chief of Molecular Neurodegeneration, he is on the editorial board for Neuron and serves as an Associate Editor for Science Advances.

Moderator

John Carroll

FOUNDER AND EDITOR, ENDPOINTS NEWS

John D. Carroll is a biotech analyst and writer with decades of prize-winning experience in journalism. A co-founder of Endpoints News, he has covered biopharma for the past 20 years. Aside from his daily industry coverage for FierceBiotech, where he was named editor in 2003, leaving in 2016, Carroll has been a regular speaker at biotech events around the globe. He’s been quoted by The New York Times, The New Yorker, Financial Times, The Times of London and more. He’s also keynoted at biotech gatherings around the world and addressed student audiences at MIT and Harvard.