Dr. Olivier Danos, Cell And Gene Therapy Pioneer, Joins Alcyone Lifesciences Scientific Advisory Board

LOWELL, Mass., July 7, 2015/PRNewswire/ -- Alcyone Lifesciences, Inc., a leader in neural intervention systems for neurological conditions, today announced that Olivier Danos, Ph.D., senior vice president of cell and gene therapy at Biogen Inc., has joined its Scientific Advisory Board. 

"Dr. Olivier Danos is a pioneer in the field of gene therapy including for the treatment of chronic neurological disorders.  We are honored to have such a distinguished scientist as an addition to our Scientific Advisory Board," stated PJ Anand, chief executive officer and founder of Alcyone Lifesciences, Inc.

"Optimal delivery is critical and fundamental for therapeutic efficacy.  Alcyone has built an impressive platform of delivery systems for the central nervous system (CNS) and is pioneering novel modalities of therapeutic delivery, via direct delivery and intrathecal approaches," commented Dr. Olivier Danos. "I am excited to join this outstanding group of scientist and clinicians on Alcyone's Scientific Advisory Board."

Dr. Danos leads Biogen's gene therapy research group, a team dedicated to identifying and developing new technologies for gene transfer and genome engineering. As part of his role, Dr. Danos also identifies potential collaborations that complement Biogen's internal capabilities and supports the development of treatments across Biogen 's therapeutic focus areas.

Prior to Biogen, Dr. Danos was at Kadmon Pharmaceuticals, where he served as senior vice president, Molecular Medicine, Synthetic Biology and Gene Regulation since 2011. In this role, he was instrumental in assembling a gene therapy program and a technology platform for the development of controllable gene expression systems. Prior to Kadmon, Dr. Danos acted as the director of the Gene Therapy Consortium of the University College of London and led a gene therapy research team at the Necker Hospital Enfants Malades in Paris.

Dr. Danos is a cofounder and advisor to Lysogene, a company focused on research and development of gene therapy for certain neurodegenerative disorders.  He has also served as chief scientific officer at Genethon and senior director of research at Somatix Therapy Corporation. He has held several senior roles at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. Dr. Danos is the former president and a founding member of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy.

Dr. Danos received a Master's in Genetics and Molecular Biology at University of Paris Orsay, and his Ph.D. in Biology at the Pasteur Institute and University of Paris Diderot.

Also on the Scientific Advisory Board of Alcyone Lifesciences are:

• William Olbricht PhD., Co-Founder and Professor of Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering, Cornell University.
• Adam Fleisher, MD., Co-Founder, former Director of Imaging, Banner Alzheimer Institute and Associate Professor of Neurology, UCSD.
• Joseph Madsen, MD., Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School and Director of Neurodynamics Laboratory and Epilepsy Program at Boston Children's Hospital
• E. Antonio Chiocca, MD., PhD., Chairman of Neurosurgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Professor of Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School
• Andres Lozano, MD., PhD, FRCSC, BmedSci., Chief of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto and Senior Scientist at Toronto Western Hospital
• John Laterra, M.D., PhD., Director, Division of Neuro-Oncology, Johns Hopkins University
• David Roberts, MD., Chief of Neurosurgery, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Professor of Surgery Dartmouth School of Medicine
• Michael Rogawski, MD., PhD., Professor of Neurology, University of California, Davis Campus
• Sangeeta Bhatia, MD., PhD., John & Dorothy Wilson Professor of Health Sciences and Technology & Electrical & Computer Science & Director, Laboratory for Multiscale Regenerative Technologies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Jaime Mata, PhD., Director of in vivo imaging and Associate Professor, University of Virginia

About Alcyone Lifesciences

Alcyone Lifesciences, based in Lowell, Massachusetts, is a privately-held medical device company focused on development of novel treatment modalities for chronic neurological conditions.  The Company's patented technology platform is based on a uniquely engineered amalgamation of microfabrication technologies along with advanced biomedical engineering with core product focus on targeted drug therapy and hydrocephalus. Alcyone's team of scientists, physicians and advisers includes recognized leaders in the field of neurology and neurosurgery. For more information, please visit www.alcyonels.com

Contacts:

PJ Anand

Chief Executive Officer

info@alcyonels.com

(978) 709-1946

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SOURCE Alcyone Lifesciences, Inc.