LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 2002--Neurion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (www.neurionpharma.com), an ion channel drug discovery company targeting central nervous system diseases, announced today that it has appointed Robert H. Grubbs, Ph.D., to its new Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The SAB, to be composed of eminent academic scientists and clinicians, will advise Neurion’s senior research and business management on key scientific and clinical issues and developments that will impact the growth of the company.

Dr. Grubbs is the Atkins Professor of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). After undergraduate work at the University of Florida, Dr. Grubbs earned his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1968 an then pursued postdoctoral studies at Stanford University. Dr. Grubbs’s pioneering research in organometallic and synthetic chemistry has revolutionized the way in which chemists assemble complex organic molecules and materials. Professor Grubbs has been a Sloan Fellow, a Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, and an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1989. Professor Grubbs' awards have included: The American Chemical Society (ACS) Award in Polymer Chemistry, the ACS National Award in Organometallic Chemisty, the Nagoya Medal, the Fluka Reagent of the Year, the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chemistry, the H. C. Brown Award for Creative Work in Synthetic Methods, and the ACS Arthur C. Cope Award. He has published over 350 papers and holds over 50 patents. Dr. Grubbs' research has also been the basis of several entrepreneurial ventures. He is a founder of four companies, a member of the Board of Directors of three companies and a member of the Scientific Advisory Boards of three others.

Dennis A. Dougherty, Ph.D, the George Grant Hoag Professor of Chemistry at Caltech, co-founder and Director of Neurion and Co-Chairman of the SAB, said "During my long association with Caltech, Dr. Grubbs has become not only a great friend and collaborator, but also a wonderful role model for transitioning academic research into entrepreneurial ventures. By accepting this appointment to Neurion's SAB, Bob brings a wealth of scientific expertise, plus his invaluable experience as a scientific founder of technology-oriented companies."

Neurion Pharmaceuticals was co-founded in January, 2002, by Dr. Dennis Dougherty and Dr. Henry A. Lester, Bren Professor of Biology at Caltech, who is also a Director of the company and Co-Chairman of the SAB. Drs. Dougherty and Lester have collaborated for over a decade on research into the structure and function of ion channels, a class of proteins that are a major target of drug development efforts within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, particularly for central nervous system (CNS) diseases and disorders. Together, Drs. Dougherty and Lester developed the Neurion Precision Neurochemistry Platform (NP2). NP2 enables the development of membrane protein models with accuracy exceeding the capabilities of other difficult and time-consuming methods, including x-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy. Neurion intends to leverage its NP2 technology to discover and optimize new CNS therapeutics. The company also intends to develop high-precision ion channel models for screening against a highly prevalent form of drug-induced cardiac toxicity, known as hERG blockade.

Neurion is currently pursuing research alliances with leading pharmaceutical companies as well as embarking upon its own internal drug discovery program. The company received a founding equity investment from Convergent Ventures (www.convergentventures.com), a Los Angeles-based life science venture capital firm.

CONTACT:
Jonathan G. Lasch
CEO & President
11766 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 1420
Los Angeles, CA 90025
310-444-3241, Ext. 16

Return to main NEWS page