AXON-NEUROSCIENCE

Biotech company AXON Neuroscience, which is currently a driving force in the development of disease modifying treatments for Alzheimer’s disease(AD), is pleased to announce that Prof. Michal Novak, has been appointed as a Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of AXON Neuroscience , effective from October 1, 2015. Assoc. Prof. Norbert Zilka, previously AXON’s Head of Preclinical Trials, was named the company’s new Chief Science Officer .

„Prof. Novak is the author of ground-breaking discoveries, which were essential for new approaches in the development of the disease modifying treatment of AD. His vision sets the course not only for our company, but based on the recent development of AD therapeutic approaches, for the whole industry. We are delighted that he will continue to support AXON Neuroscience from his new position, which will leave him more space to focus on developing new products and making AXON‘s portfolio stronger and more diversified,“ said Roman Sivak, AXON’s CEO, after the Board meeting.

Professor Michal Novak co-discovered the main component of neurofibrillary degeneration, a key element of Alzheimer’s disease. He spent 10 years working at the Laboratory of molecular Biology, MRC in Cambridge in a team with three Nobel laureates Sir Aaron Klug, Cesar Milstein and John Walker. In 1999 he co-founded a biotech company AXON Neuroscience. Prof. Novak also founded the Institute of Neuroimmunology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV), the Memory foundation, the Slovak Alzheimer’s Association, and the Slovak Society for Neuroscience. In addition, he is a co-founder of the largest global research initiative aimed at tackling the challenges of neurodegenerative diseases – Joint Programming on Neurodegenerative Disorders.

As the Head of Preclinical Trials, Assoc. Prof. Norbert Zilka was previously responsible for creating novel animal models for human neurodegenerative disorders and preclinical development of immunotherapeutics. He is the author of the tau immunological cascade in Alzheimer’s disease. Assoc. Prof. Zilka was a national coordinator of Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, a project running under the Joint Programming Neurodegenerative Disease grant scheme. He is also a co-author of the project Synaptic Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease funded by Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network and was a national coordinator and chairman of the Neuroscience session at the first Frontiers of Science Meeting organized by the Royal Society and V4 countries in 2010. Norbert Zilka has been working with Prof. Novak since the foundation of the company in 1999 and played the key role in the leading discoveries, which he further helped to transform into AXON‘s portfolio of products.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151001005631/en/

Contact:

AXON Neuroscience
Michael Matis
media@axon-neuroscience.eu
+421 902 161 362

Link:

ClickThru