By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Amarantus BioScience Appoints Mark Benedyk, Ph.D., to Board of Directors
SUNNYVALE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Amarantus BioScience, Inc. (OTCQB: AMBS), a biotechnology company discovering and developing treatments and diagnostics for diseases associated with neurodegeneration and apoptosis centered around its patented therapeutic protein Mesencephalic Astrocyte Neurotrophic Factor (MANF), has appointed Mark Benedyk, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors. Dr. Benedyk has over 18 years of experience as a senior business development executive and consultant to life science companies, and has served as a Corporate Advisor to Amarantus since 2011. With the addition of Dr. Benedyk, the Amarantus board has four members, two of whom are considered independent directors, including Dr. Benedyk.
“I am excited to join the Amarantus board at such an important stage of the Company’s scientific and business development growth,” said Dr. Benedyk. “I look forward to helping the Company as it advances MANF towards the clinic for Parkinson’s disease, and executes a commercial strategy for its promising clinical diagnostic tests for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.”
Gerald E. Commissiong, President and Chief Executive Officer of Amarantus BioScience, stated “Mark Benedyk has played a significant role in the growth and success of several leading healthcare companies. With his knowledge and understanding of clinical development and regulatory affairs, as well as the financial and operating requirements of a development-stage company, Mark will be an important resource for all aspects of managing our progress and creating value for shareholders.”
Dr. Benedyk is currently a Managing Partner at Rila Partners LLC, a business and corporate development consultancy. In this role he serves on the Strategic Advisory Board of KemPharm, Inc., is a Director at the Center for Drug Research and Development Ventures, Inc., and is a member of the Translational Medicine Advisory Board of the CNS Regenerative Medicine Foundation. Previously he was head of The Pfizer Incubator (TPI) where his duties included membership on the TPI Board of Directors, board positions with TPI portfolio companies, oversight of the TPI operations team, and reviewing investment opportunities in multiple technologies.
Dr. Benedyk has held executive business development roles at Ascenta Therapeutics, Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Aurora Biosciences (acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals), and Elan Pharmaceuticals, where he led partnering efforts for several key clinical-stage products for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease, migraine and other neurological indications. He received his Ph.D. in Developmental and Molecular Genetics from The Rockefeller University, and Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology and Botany from the University of Michigan.
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