Mnemosyne Pharmaceuticals Inc. Appoints Vanessa King, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer
Providence, R.I. (PRWEB) November 10, 2014 -- Mnemosyne Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an emerging leader in the discovery and development of innovative small molecule therapeutics to improve the lives of patients with neuropsychiatric disorders, today announced the appointment of Vanessa King, Ph.D. as president and chief executive officer.
“I’m excited to join the team at Mnemosyne,” said Dr. King. “Their depth of expertise in the pharmacology of sub-unit specific NMDA modulators holds exceptional promise for the development of effective treatments for patients. Mnemosyne has already made significant progress on several of its discovery programs, notably the NR2B NAM (negative allosteric modulator) program for depression.”
Dr. King brings two decades of industry experience to Mnemosyne, during which she has helped multiple venture-backed start-ups grow, partner, and execute effectively. Most recently, she headed up business development for deCODE genetics, yielding its $415 million acquisition by Amgen in 2012. Over the last two decades, Dr. King’s roles have focused on both business development and operations at science-driven organizations, ranging from the Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research to the Venter Institute to PerkinElmer Life and Analytical Sciences. She comes to Mnemosyne from Amgen, where she was responsible for the organization’s East Coast business development and licensing operations, as well as external venture innovation. At Amgen, she led the spin-out of venture-backed NextCode Health. Dr. King has an AB in molecular biology from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in molecular genetics from the University of Cambridge.
“Vanessa’s mix of business development and operations experience makes her well suited to lead Mnemosyne through its next phase of growth,” said Peter Barrett, Partner, Atlas Venture, and chairman of the board. “We are thankful to Kollol Pal who, as founding CEO, has been instrumental in leading Mnemosyne to where it is today.”
About Mnemosyne
Mnemosyne Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately-held, biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of small molecule therapeutics for the neuropsychiatry market. The company focuses on specifically targeting NMDA receptor subtypes, critical modulators of the brain’s plasticity. Mnemosyne’s lead program targets depression, with further discovery efforts in schizophrenia and neurodevelopmental disorders such as Rett Syndrome. Mnemosyne’s investors include Atlas Venture, CLAL Biotechnology Industries (CBI, formerly Access BridgeGap Ventures) and Slater Technology Fund. For more information, visit http://www.mnemosynepharma.com.
Michelle Linn, Linnden Communications, +1 (774) 696-3803, [email protected]
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