Full Press Release Details
Neurologist and Psychiatrist Prof. Johannes
Rolf Streffer, MD Joins AC Immune SA as Chief Medical Officer
Prof. Streffer is an established
authority on neuroscience and biomarker modalities
Appointment reaffirms AC Immune's
scientific leadership in neurodegeneration
Lausanne, Switzerland, November 18, 2020
- AC Immune SA (NASDAQ: ACIU), a Swiss-based, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a broad pipeline focused on neurodegenerative
diseases, today announced that Prof. Johannes R. Streffer, an authority on neurology and psychiatry, was hired as the Company's
Chief Medical Officer, and he is expected to join the Company in January 2021.
Prof. Streffer joins AC Immune from UCB
Biopharma SPRL where he currently holds the position of Vice President, Head of Translational Medicine Neuroscience. His expertise
will further accelerate AC Immune's progress in advancing its pipeline of therapies targeting neurodegenerative diseases.
Prof. Andrea Pfeifer, CEO of AC Immune
SA, commented: "We welcome Prof. Streffer's timely appointment, as his understanding of biomarkers and experience
of clinical study design in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and particularly preclinical AD, will positively impact AC Immune's
discovery efforts. His appointment is a further affirmation of our scientific leadership in the neurodegenerative disease field.
Prof. Streffer's significant expertise and standing in the scientific and medical community will be an invaluable asset as
we work to develop innovative treatments for neurodegenerative diseases using our proprietary
technology platforms."
Prof. Streffer commented: "I
am humbled and proud to be invited to join AC Immune, an established pioneer at the forefront of discovering and developing treatments
for neurodegenerative diseases. It is tremendously exciting to be involved at the cutting edge of research addressing an area with
such a high unmet medical need and where my work on clinical studies and understanding early biomarkers in Alzheimer's could
play a critically important role. The existing and developing pipeline of AC Immune is very impressive. I look forward to working
with the outstanding team at AC Immune and hope my own expertise will contribute to their continued success."
At UCB Prof. Streffer led the development
of a translational space in neuroscience, integrating clinical and biomarker sciences. Prior to this he was a member of the Alzheimer
Disease Area Leadership Team at Janssen, Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. Here he gained experience in early
experimental AD trials, including biomolecular modalities such as positron emission tomography (PET), volumetric and functional
MRI, genetics, cognition and cerebrospinal fluid markers. As a member of the Experimental Medicine group and as leader of the Janssen
BACE inhibitor (BACEi) program targeting Alzheimer's Disease he initiated a number of methodological and biomarker studies
focusing on early diagnosis and translation. Prof. Streffer was also the industrial lead for European Medical Information Framework
(EMIF)-AD. In the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)-EMIF program researchers from 14 countries combined in a EUR 56 million
project to integrate a wide variety of AD data cohorts to foster understanding of early biomarkers and change in the predementia
Prof. Streffer is a graduate of the University
of T bingen, Germany, where he received his medical degree. He also completed graduate studies on neuro-oncology and is Board
certified in psychiatry and neurology. He has published more than 70 manuscripts and is a visiting Professor in the Department
of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Antwerp.
a Nasdaq-listed clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, which aims to become a global leader in precision medicine for neurodegenerative
diseases. The Company utilizes two proprietary platforms, SupraAntigenTM and MorphomerTM, to design,
discover and develop small molecule and biological therapeutics as well as diagnostic products intended to diagnose, prevent, and
modify neurodegenerative diseases caused by misfolding proteins. The Company's pipeline features nine therapeutic and three diagnostic
product candidates, with six currently in clinical trials. It has collaborations with major pharmaceutical companies including Genentech,
a member of the Roche Group, Eli Lilly and Company and Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
For further information, please contact:
| Head of Investor Relations Joshua Drumm, Ph.D. AC Immune Phone: +1 917 809 0814 Email: joshua.drumm@acimmune.com | US Media Katie Gallagher LaVoie HealthScience Phone: +1 617 792 3937 Email: kgallagher@lavoiehealthscience.com |
| Global Head of Communications Judith Moore AC Immune Phone: +41 79 826 63 82 Email: judith.moore@acimmune.com | European Investors & Media Chris Maggos LifeSci Advisors Phone: +41 79 367 6254 Email: chris@lifesciadvisors.com |
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