Prana adds movement disorder expert to board

Prana Biotechnology (ASX:PBT) has appointed movement disorder expert Professor Ira Shoulson to its board as a non-executive director.

Shoulson is a professor of neurology, pharmacology and human science at Georgetown University in Washington DC.

He founded the international Huntington Study Group and Parkinson Study Group, and is also principal investigator of the Georgetown University Center for Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI). This is his first board appointment.

Prana CEO Geoffrey Kempler said Shoulson’s experience will serve the company well as it prepares to meet with regulators to help determine the next stages in the development of drug candidate PBT2 in Huntington disease.

In the course of his career, Shoulson has been involved in eight successful new drug applications with the US FDA.

“I have spent my entire professional life developing treatments aimed at making a difference for patients with Huntington disease, Parkinson’s disease and similar neurodegenerative disorders,” Shoulson commented.

“Based on [the early] research, I believe PBT2 is among the most promising of experimental treatments intended to ameliorate the disabling cognitive impairment of Huntington disease, which is a major source of disability for our patients.”

Prana Biotechnology (ASX:PBT) shares were trading unchanged at $0.17 as of around 1 pm on Wednesday.