Biophytis Appoints Professor Thomas Voit to Scientific Advisory Board to Help Accelerate Pipeline Programs in Orphan Pediatric Diseases

PARIS, France, Oct. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Biophytis (Euronext Growth Paris:ALBPS), a biotechnology company focused on innovative therapeutics to restore the muscular and visual functions in diseases with significant unmet medical needs, today announced that it has appointed Professor Thomas Voit, MD to its Scientific Advisory Board.

Professor Voit is the Director of the Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) of the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust and the Institute of Child Health, University College London. The BRC is the only center of its kind in the UK dedicated to pediatric research with a strong track record in excelling in the discovery of treatments for childhood diseases. Previously Professor Voit was at the Pierre et Marie Curie (Sorbonne) University, Paris, where he was the Medical and Scientific Director of the Institute of Myology and Director of an INSERM/CNRS Research Center. Prior to this he was a professor and the Head of Pediatrics at University Hospital, Essen.

Stanislas Veillet, CEO of Biophytis, said: “We are excited to welcome Professor Voit to our Scientific Advisory Board at this important juncture in the growth of Biophytis. With the preclinical proofs of concept established for our lead compounds: Sarconeos in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and Macuneos in Stargardt disease, we are at the cusp of adding a new, important pillar addressing pediatric orphan diseases to our advanced pipeline. We are now designing the clinical roadmap for these new Orphan indications, which offer a clear regulatory path and accelerated timelines to market. Professor Voit’s vast experience in developing treatments for pediatric diseases will be of immense value to Biophytis, and we look forward to benefitting from his guidance to advance our programs, and bringing these vital therapies to young patients.”

About Sarconeos in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy:
Sarconeos is a first-in-class drug candidate based on the activation of the MAS receptor (major player of the renin-angiotensin system) restoring muscular anabolism, inhibiting myostatin, and demonstrated efficacy in preclinical models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Duchenne muscular dystrophy or DMD is the most common of the muscular dystrophies, affecting approximately 1 in every 3,500 newborn boys. It is caused by a fault in a gene called the dystrophin or DMD gene. A fault in this gene stops the body making a protein called dystrophin. This protein is important in muscle fibres, and its absence results in muscle weakness that gets worse over time because muscle cells break down and are gradually lost. Typically, boys with Duchenne lose their ability to walk between the ages of ten and fourteen. By their late teens, they lose the strength in their upper bodies, including the ability to move their arms. The disease also affects the heart and breathing muscles, so around this time they also usually need help with breathing at night. Over time, their respiratory systems weaken, and they require constant support.

For more information about DMD, please see http://www.treat-nmd.eu/dmd/about/

About Macuneos and Stargardt disease:
Macuneos is the first representative of a new class of drug candidates, agonists of nuclear receptor PPAR. Macuneos protects retinal pigment epithelium: Biophytis has shown in animal models a protection of retinal cells against phototoxic effects of A2E in the presence of blue light (oxidative stress), a reduction in accumulation of A2E, and eventually a slowdown of the degenerative process of the retina. Macuneos has demonstrated efficacy in preclinical models of Stargardt disease and is currently in clinical development for dry AMD. Stargardt disease is the most common form of inherited juvenile macular degeneration. The progressive vision loss associated with Stargardt disease is caused by the death of photoreceptor cells in the central portion of the retina called the macula. The retina is the delicate light-sensing tissue lining the back inside wall of the eye. Photoreceptor cells in the retina provide vision by conveying information from the visual field to the brain. The macula is responsible for sharp central vision — for tasks like reading, watching television, and looking at faces. Decreased central vision is a hallmark of Stargardt disease. Side vision is usually preserved. Stargardt disease typically develops during childhood and adolescence. Also involved in Stargardt disease is a region beneath the macula called the retinal pigment epithelium.

For more information about Stargardt disease, please see http://www.blindness.org/stargardt-disease

About BIOPHYTIS:
Biophytis SA (www.biophytis.com), founded in 2006, develops drug candidates targeting diseases of aging. Using its technology and know-how, Biophytis has begun clinical development of innovative therapeutics to restore the muscular and visual functions in diseases with significant unmet medical needs. Specifically, the company is advancing two lead products into mid-stage clinical testing this year: Sarconeos (BIO101) to treat sarcopenic obesity and Macuneos (BIO201) to treat dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The business model of BIOPHYTIS is to ensure the conduct of the project until clinical activity in the patient is proven, then to license the technologies in order to continue the development in partnership with a pharmaceutical laboratory.

The company was founded in partnership with researchers at the UPMC (Pierre and Marie Curie University) and also collaborates with scientists at the Institute of Myology, and the Vision Institute.

BIOPHYTIS is listed on the Euronext Growth market of Euronext Paris (ALBPS; ISIN: FR0012816825).

For more information: http://www.biophytis.com

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Disclaimer
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. For a discussion of risks and uncertainties which could cause the Company’s actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements to differ from those contained in the forward looking statements, please refer to the Risk Factors (“Facteurs de Risque”) section of the Listing Prospectus upon the admission of Company’s shares for trading on the regulated market Euronext Growth of Euronext Paris filed with the AMF, which is available on the AMF website (www.amf- france.org) or on BIOPHYTIS’ website (www.biophytis.com).

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