AC Immune SA (NASDAQ: ACIU), a Swiss-based, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a broad pipeline focused on neurodegenerative diseases, today announced Dr. Juan Fortea, an internationally renowned neurologist with a specific focus in the emerging field of Down syndrome-related Alzheimer’s disease, is to join the Company’s Clinical Advisory Board.
Dr. Forteacombines his research and clinical activities at the Hospital of Sant Pau in Barcelona and the Catalan Foundation for Down Syndrome in Barcelona, Spain, where he leads the neuroimaging laboratory and directs the Alzheimer’s Disease and Down Syndrome Unit. He has extensive experience in clinical practice and in medical research, with a focus on the early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer’s disease and Down syndrome-related Alzheimer’s disease. His expertise is recognized internationally, as an active participant of the NIA-N Study section, National Institutes of Health (US), the International Scientific Committee of the Jerome Lejeune Foundation (France) as well as at the Clinical Research Committee from the Trisomy 21 Research Society and the Down Syndrome Professional Interest Area, Alzheimer’s Association (US). He is also the current Chair of the Behavioral Neurology and Dementia Study Group at the Spanish Neurological Society.
Dr. Fortea has also authored or coauthored more than 130 publications in peer-reviewed journals and is the coordinator of a worldwide pioneering population based health plan for adults with Down syndrome in Catalonia. This program is the foundation for the Down Alzheimer Barcelona Neuroimaging Initiative (DABNI), the largest single center cohort with multimodal biomarker studies to study Alzheimer´s disease pathophysiology in Down syndrome.
Prof. Andrea Pfeifer, CEO of AC Immune SA, said: “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Fortea to AC Immune’s Clinical Advisory Board. AC Immune has the world’s most advanced development program for an anti-Abeta vaccine to treat Down syndrome-related Alzheimer’s disease and Dr. Fortea’s expertise in this area will be invaluable as we progress the ACI-24 in Down syndrome research program into Phase 2 of clinical development later this year. Individuals with Down syndrome continue to be an underrepresented, overlooked population at increased risk from Alzheimer’s-like disease. As we mark this year’s World Down Syndrome Day, we look forward to working in partnership with Dr. Fortea and the Down syndrome community to advance clinical development.”
The CAB provides AC Immune with strategic clinical development and regulatory advice related to its broad pipeline in neurodegenerative diseases. Members of the CAB are selected based on their expertise and peer recognition in the medical field.
The CAB is headed by Dr. Andreas Monsch of the University Center for Medicine of Aging, Basel (Switzerland). The other members are Dr. Reisa Sperling, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (US); Dr. Murat Emre, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul (Turkey); Dr. Lon Schneider, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (US); and Dr. Pierre Tariot, Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, Phoenix, AZ (US).
