Coya Therapeutics™ Announces Formation of Scientific Advisory BoardBoard to Advance Company’s Proprietary TAI™ (Tregs Against Inflammation™) and EAI™ (Exosomes Against Inflammation) Platforms
HOUSTON, Feb. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coya Therapeutics, Inc., (Coya™), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class approaches that utilize autologous regulatory T cells (Tregs) and allogeneic exosome therapeutics for neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases, today announced the formation of a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Coya’s SAB is comprised of five world-renowned experts in regulatory T cell biology, cellular therapy, and neurodegeneration, who have made lasting and groundbreaking scientific advances in their respective fields.
The SAB will work closely with the Coya Therapeutics’ leadership team as the Company advances its lead therapeutic program, ALS001: an off-the-shelf, autologous, expanded Treg cell therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, into later stages of clinical development. Further, SAB guidance will be instrumental as the Company extends into neurodegenerative and autoimmune therapeutic areas and progresses additional Treg modifying candidates, as well as exosome and/or combined therapy assets in the clinic.
“We are excited and privileged to have the opportunity to work alongside this group of luminaries in the development of Coya’s Treg modifying therapeutics for neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases,” said Howard Berman, Ph.D., CEO of Coya Therapeutics. “These foundational leaders have contributed seminal discoveries that have defined the industry, including the discoverer of regulatory T cells; we look forward to their impactful contributions as Coya advances its platform in the clinic to address devastating neurodegenerative diseases such as, ALS, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson’s Disease, and Alzheimer’s.”
The SAB includes the following members:
Chairman
Stanley H. Appel, M.D., Houston Methodist Hospital and Cornell University
Dr. Stanley Appel is the Peggy and Gary Edwards Distinguished Endowed Chair for the Treatment and Research of ALS, Co-Director of the Houston Methodist Neurological Institute, Chair of the Stanley H. Appel Department of Neurology, Houston Methodist Hospital and Professor of Neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College. He is also Director of the MDA/ALSA ALS Research and Clinical Center at the Houston Methodist Neurological Institute. Dr Appel’s seminal research documented the intimate relationship of neurodegeneration and ALS progression with dysfunctional and decreased levels of Tregs. He is also renowned for his discovery of cryopreservation of Tregs, demonstrating the ability to expand, freeze and re-thaw Tregs, while maintaining viability and suppressive function. Dr. Appel is a member of numerous professional societies and committees and has authored 15 books and over 440 articles on topics such as ALS, neuromuscular disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Parkinson’s Disease.
Shimon Sakaguchi M.D., Ph.D., Osaka University, Member – National Academy of Sciences
Dr. Shimon Sakaguchi is University Distinguished Professor at Osaka University and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Sakaguchi is renowned for his discovery of regulatory T cells (Tregs), which can prevent autoimmunity and aid in tumor survival and is the world’s authority in Treg biology and function. He was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon from the Emperor in 2009, designated as Person of Cultural Merit by the Japanese Government in 2017, and has received many international awards including Cancer Research Institute’s William B. Coley Award, Keio Medical Science Prize, Canada Gairdner International Award and Crafoord Prize.
Lawrence Steinman, M.D., Stanford University Medical School, Member – National Academy of Sciences
Dr. Steinman is a professor of neurology and neurological sciences, pediatrics, and genetics at Stanford University Medical School and a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine. He is a renowned expert on neuroinflammation and was senior author on the seminal 1992 Nature article that reported the key role of a particular integrin in brain inflammation, leading to the development of the drug Tysabri. He is the recipient of the John Dystel Prize from the American Academy of Neurology and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for his research on MS, the Charcot Award from the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation, and the Anthony Cerami Award in Translational Medicine from Molecular Medicine.
Clive Svendsen, Ph.D., Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute
Dr. Clive Svendsen is Director of the Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute, Professor in Residence at UCLA and Consulting Professor at Stanford University. Dr. Svendsen is a renowned expert in stem cell biology and regenerative therapeutic approaches. He did his pre-doctoral training at Harvard University and received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in England, where he established a stem cell research group before moving to the University of Wisconsin in 2000. At Wisconsin he served as Professor of Neurology and Anatomy, Director of an NIH-funded Stem Cell Training Program and Co-Director of the University of Wisconsin Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center.
Malcolm Brenner, M.D., Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine, Member – National Academy of Medicine
Dr. Brenner is the founding director of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy and the Fayez Sarofilm Distinguished Service Professor at Baylor College of Medicine. He is also a member of the Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center, the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center, and the Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor. Over the past 30 years, Dr. Brenner has devoted his career as a physician-scientist to the field of stem cell transplantation through the therapeutic use of T cell immunologic approaches and genetic engineering strategies. His lab was among the first to study the anti-leukemic effects of IL2 following stem cell transplantation during the 1980s and to study the safety and feasibility of post-transplant immunization.
About Coya Therapeutics, Inc.
Headquartered in Houston, TX, Coya Therapeutics™ is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class and best-in-class approaches utilizing adoptive regulatory T cells (Tregs) to target disease. The company’s CTreg™ (Cryopreservation for Tregs) system is patent pending and the first in the industry to create an ‘off the shelf’ approach to Treg cell therapy allowing for serial infusions. Through our proprietary TAI™ (Tregs Against Inflammation™) and EAITM (Exosomes Against Inflammation) platforms, Coya is focused on the advancement of disease modifying approaches to address the significant unmet medical needs of patients with ALS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, FTD and autoimmune diseases. For more information, please visit www.coyatherapeutics.com
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