Probiodrug announces appointment of Prof Dr Harald Labischinski and Dr Jonathan David Turner to its Board of Directors

Halle (Saale) //
Probiodrug AG (Probiodrug), a developer of small molecule inhibitors for the treatment of inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases, today announced that Prof Dr Harald Labischinski and Dr. Jonathan David Turner have been appointed to Probiodrug´s Board of Directors. They will join the current Board of Directors consisting of Dr Christoph Schröder, TVM Capital, Dr Dinnies von der Osten, Goodvent Beteiligungsmanagement GmbH & Co KG, Dr Erich Platzer, HBM BioVentures, and Prof Dr Georg Frank, retired executive from Bayer Bitterfeld GmbH.

Since 2005, Prof Dr Harald Labischinski has been Chief Executive Officer of Combinature Biopharm AG (now: MerLion Pharmaceuticals GmbH), Berlin, Germany. Following the acquisition of Combinature Biopharm by Merlion Pharmaceuticals Pte. Ltd., Singapore, in 2006, he has also been serving as MerLion´s Chief Scientific Officer and Member of the Board of Directors. Prior to joining Combinature Biopharm, he held various management positions of increasing responsibility with Bayer Healthcare AG and Bayer AG, where he focused on antiinfective research and therapy. Prior to that, he was Head of Cytochemistry, Department of “Cytology”, and later on Vice-President, at the Robert-Koch-Institute, then part of the Federal Health Office, Germany. Dr Labischinski holds a Diploma in Chemistry from Free University Berlin (FU Berlin) and obtained his PhD and his postdoctoral lecture qualification from the Department of Chemistry at Free University Berlin, where he continues to serve as external professor with teaching responsibilities in bio-crystallography and modern drug development approaches.

Dr Jonathan David Turner serves as Senior Vice President, Business Development, at XL Technology Group, Melbourne, FL, USA, since 2005. From 2002-2005, he was Head of Corporate Business Development and Corporate Pharmaceutical Licensing at Boehringer Ingelheim, Germany. Prior to joining Boehringer Ingelheim, he was Director, Discovery Alliances Respiratory and Inflammation at AstraZeneca R&D, Charnwood, UK, and prior to that External Research Manager at Astra, Charnwood, UK. From 1986 to 1997, he held various positions of increasing responsibility with Schering AG, Berlin, focusing on CNS research. Dr Turner has extensive experience in the development, commercialization, and licensing activities of therapeutics in various indications such as Cardiovascular, CNS, Respiratory and Inflammation/Immunology. He holds a PhD in Neuropharmacology and a BSc.Hons in Physiology from the University of St Andrews, UK.

“We are delighted about the appointments of Harald Labischinski and Jonathan David Turner to Probiodrug´s Board of Directors”, said Dr Konrad Glund, Chief Executive Officer of Probiodrug. “Both have a strong management track record in the biopharmaceutical industry and will not only add significant scientific know-how, but also considerable expertise in the fields of business and corporate development, licensing, and international collaborations.”

About Probiodrug AG

Probiodrug is a biopharmaceutical company specialized on the development of innovative small molecule drugs for the treatment of neuronal, inflammatory, and autoimmune diseases. In these areas, Probiodrug is focusing on innovative targets with the prospect of first and best in class therapeutics.

The Company has a dominant position in the area of glutaminyl cyclase inhibition, an enzyme central for the pathogenesis of AD. In this field, Probiodrug is pioneering a completely novel therapeutic approach. In addition, the company is pursuing further novel approaches in the area of inflammatory diseases.

Probiodrug has generated evidence that glutaminyl cyclase, an enzyme that cyclizes N-terminal glutamine of peptides to pyroglutamate (pGlu), is massively overexpressed in the brain of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The company has also demonstrated that pyroglutamated derivatives of the amyloid beta (Aß) peptide are much more toxic and degradation-resistant than unmodified Aß peptides and that they form the very seeds of the typical Aß aggregates like AD plaques seen in the brain of AD patients. Moreover in animal models of AD, inhibitors of QC reduce both pGlu-Aß and total Aß, and improve memory.

Probiodrug`s core expertise is based on its long-standing, unique experience with the structure and function elucidation of enzymes central for the maturation of hormones. The company has pioneered the field of DP4-inhibition for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Compounds and technology patents of its DP4 (dipeptidyl peptidase 4) program in diabetes were licensed to various pharmaceutical companies. In 2004, all metabolic assets were sold to (OSI) Prosidion. The first drug based on Probiodrug`s technologies reached the market in late 2006. The proceeds of these transactions have been reinvested to fund the novel approach for the treatment of AD.

The Company was founded in 1997 by Dr Konrad Glund and Prof Dr Hans-Ulrich Demuth and has raised a total of $52 million. In 2007, it acquired Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG. The company is located in Halle (Saale), Germany, and operates a subsidiary in Martinsried/Munich, Germany. For more information, please visit www.probiodrug.de.

Probiodrug AG
Dr Konrad Glund, CEO
Weinbergweg 22
D-06120 Halle (Saale)
Germany
Tel.: +49 345 55599-00
Fax: +49 345 55599-01
Mail: konrad.glund@probiodrug.de

akampion
Dr Ludger Weß
Saseler Loge 6b
D-22393 Hamburg
Germany
Tel.: +49 40 88 16 59 64
Fax: +49 40 88 16 59 65
Mail: ludger@akampion.com