Libra Therapeutics, Inc. today announced the appointment of Philip Lambert, Ph.D., as the company’s first chief scientific officer. With more than 25 years of drug discovery and development expertise in the areas of neuroscience, metabolic, inflammatory, and orphan diseases and a neuroscientist by training, Dr. Lambert will lead Libra’s development of novel drug candidates focused on restoring the cellular balance lost in neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Dr. Lambert joins Libra from CENTOGENE, where he was Chief Scientific Officer and led the company’s drug discovery operation.
“We are excited to welcome Phil, who has advanced into clinical trials more than 20 small and large molecule therapeutics for multiple diseases,” said Isaac Veinbergs, Ph.D., President and CEO of Libra Therapeutics. “In addition to his drug discovery expertise, he is a trained neuroscientist and a serial entrepreneur who has built programs and teams from the ground up. Phil’s experience will be key as we seek to develop novel therapies to deliver meaningful improvements in patient outcomes across a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases.”
“I’m impressed with Libra’s therapeutic platform that’s uniquely positioned to discover and develop novel small molecules designed to increase critical cellular processes to more rapidly clear and attenuate the production of neurotoxic proteins,” said Dr. Lambert. “I look forward to working with the team and translating the company’s breakthrough science into new therapies with the potential to slow or prevent neurodegeneration and disease progression.”
Dr. Lambert has a unique background as a well published researcher, serial entrepreneur, and a leader who has held senior positions in academia, biotechnology, non-profit, large pharmaceutical, and contract research organizations. As a serial entrepreneur, he was a member of the management team that conducted the due diligence and sale of Sirtris to GSK. He also cofounded, effectively grew, and sold VivoPath, a contract research organization to Charles River Laboratories. Dr. Lambert has held positions at CENTOGENE, Life Biosciences, Charles River Laboratories, Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, Forum Pharmaceuticals, ALS Therapy Development Institute, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, GSK, and Parke Davis. He received his Ph.D. in neuroendocrinology from Imperial College London and was a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry at Emory University School of Medicine.
About Libra Therapeutics
Libra Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing novel disease-modifying therapeutics that can restore the cellular balance disrupted in neurodegenerative diseases. The company is advancing three distinct and novel preclinical small molecule programs designed to increase autophagy and decrease production of neurotoxic protein aggregates. Libra Therapeutics was founded to capitalize on proprietary technologies and therapeutic assets from Axxam, a leading discovery research company. The company is based in San Diego. To connect with the company, visit www.libratherapeutics.com.
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