June 4, 2015 – Cambridge, MA – Hydra Biosciences, a leader in the field of Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channel modulation, today announced its newly formed pain medical advisory board (MAB) with the appointments of three leading physicians and scientists, Dr. Robert Dworkin, Dr. Roy Freeman and Dr. Nathaniel Katz. Dr. Paul Goldenheim, member of the Hydra Biosciences Board of Directors and Hydra founder, Dr. David Clapham, chair of the Hydra Scientific Advisory Board, also have seats on the MAB, which will provide clinical and scientific guidance as Hydra continues to develop HX-100, its clinical stage TRPA1 antagonist, in painful diabetic neuropathy.
"Comprised of leading clinicians and scientists, this advisory board will provide invaluable insights as we prepare to advance HX-100 into Phase 2 testing for painful diabetic neuropathy within the next 12 months," said Russell Herndon, president and CEO of Hydra Biosciences. "The modulation of TRPA1 is an innovative approach to pain management, and we look forward to drawing on the varied expertise of our medical advisory board members as the Hydra team develops alternatives to currently available therapies for pain."
The members of Hydra Biosciences' medical advisory board are:
· David Clapham, M.D.,Ph.D., a leading ion channel researcher and renowned TRP expert, is an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, director of cardiovascular research at Boston Children's Hospital and professor of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Clapham previously served on the faculty of the Mayo Clinic for several years. Dr. Clapham also is one of Hydra Biosciences Founders and chairs its Scientific Advisory Board.
· Robert Dworkin, Ph.D., is a professor of anesthesiology, neurology, oncology and psychiatry in the Center for Human Experimental Therapeutics, and director of the Anesthesiology Clinical Research Center at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Dr. Dworkin also is director of the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks (ACTTION) public-private partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), associate editor of Pain, a member of the editorial boards of Journal of Pain and Current Pain and Headache Reports. He has previously served as a consultant to and member of the FDA Anesthetic and Life Support Drugs Advisory Committee.
· Roy Freeman, M.D., is a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and director of the Center for Autonomic and Peripheral Nerve Disorders in the Department of Neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Dr. Freeman also is chairman of the World Federation of Neurology research group on the autonomic nervous system, editor of Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical and on the editorial boards of The Clinical Journal of Pain and Clinical Autonomic Research.
· Paul Goldenheim, M.D., is a member of the Hydra Biosciences Board of Directors and pulmonary physician who recently served as president of TransForm Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Johnson & Johnson) and vice-chairman of the Board of Directors of Hypnion (acquired by Eli Lilly).
· Nathaniel Katz, M.D., is considered one of the leading experts of treatment and clinical study design in pain clinical trials. He is a neurologist and pain management specialist with a distinguished career spanning Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Katz also served as Chair of the Advisory Committee, Anesthesia, Critical Care and Addiction Products Division for the FDA from 2000-2004 during which time he completed a Master of Science in Biostatistics at Columbia University.
Dr. Katz also founded and serves as principal consultant with scientific oversight of Analgesic Solutions, a company with the mission of modernizing the design and conduct of pain clinical trials to advance the "scientific quality" of pain clinical research and empower effective treatments for patients.
About Painful Diabetic Neuropathy
Painful Diabetic Neuropathy (PDN) is a common complication of chronic diabetes. The pain experienced by patients is thought to be caused by the degeneration of peripheral neurons brought on by prolonged elevations of glucose and its metabolites, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Symptoms include but are not limited to pain, numbness and loss of function of hands and feet. PDN reduces the quality of life and is often accompanied by depression. About seven million people are currently affected by PDN and will likely increase to nine million in the year 2022.
About Hydra Biosciences
Hydra Biosciences is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, Mass. that develops drugs to treat pain, inflammation, CNS and other diseases using its expertise in novel ion channels. Hydra Biosciences' proprietary platforms enable the company to identify and develop drug candidates that address significant unmet medical needs. More information about Hydra Biosciences is available at: www.hydrabiosciences.com.
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