Neuro expert Ira Shoulson joins Prana’s board of directors

Australia is a hotbed of Alzheimer’s and other neuroimaging and therapeutics research. Melbourne-based Prana Biotechnology is bringing in a new director, Ira Shoulson, MD, to serve on the company’s board.

Shoulson is considered one of the top leaders in neurodegenerative and movement disorder research and created the international Huntington Study Group and Parkinson Study Group academic consortia for the establishment of new neurological drug treatments.

"Professor Shoulson's clinical and regulatory experience will be pivotal as Prana prepares to meet with regulators later this year to chart the next steps in PBT2's development as a treatment for Huntington disease," said Prana Biotechnology CEO and executive chairman, Geoffrey Kempler.

As a professor of neurology, pharmacology and Human Science at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Shoulson is principal investigator of the Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation at Georgetown and director of the Program for Regulatory Science and Medicine.

Shoulson also has held positions in numerous FDA advisory committees and has contributed to the success of eight new drug applications, including rasagiline (Azilect) for Parkinson disease, long-acting methylphenidate (Concerta) for attention deficit disorder and tetrabenazine (Xenazine), purportedly the first drug approved for chorea, the movement disorder that is a hallmark of Huntington disease.

"I have spent my entire professional life developing treatments aimed at making a difference for patients with Huntington disease, Parkinson disease and similar neurodegenerative disorders," added Shoulson. "Based on the Reach2HD study and ongoing discovery and translational research, I believe PBT2 is among the most promising of experimental treatments intended to ameliorate the disabling cognitive impairment of HD, which is a major source of disability for our patients."

Prana is developing not just PBT2, but a range of compounds for other clinical applications, including oncology.