Aspen Neuroscience Cofounder Dr. Andrés Bratt-Leal Receives 2023 Biocom California Life Science Catalyst Award

SAN DIEGO, CALIF., November 21, 2023 – Biocom California, the association representing the California life sciences industry, has announced that Andrés Bratt-Leal, PhD, Aspen Neuroscience co-founder and senior vice-president of research and development, is a recipient of the 2023 Life Science Catalyst Awards.

The winners will be honored in the Biocom California LifeLines digital platform, newsletter and social media platforms, and were celebrated at the annual “Celebration of Life” Dinner November 16 in San Diego.

The Catalyst Awards recognize the most inspiring and driven young minds who are sparking meaningful change to human health through research, discovery, and entrepreneurship in the California life sciences industry. The awards are open to accomplished as well as up-and-coming academics, entrepreneurs, investors, corporate leaders, and business advisers making their mark on the California life science industry.

“Andrés Bratt-Leal and each of the Life Science Catalyst Award winners have demonstrated insight, expertise, and passion for the cause in their respective areas, all of which are helping to propel the California life science ecosystem forward and benefiting human health,” said Joe Panetta, president and CEO of Biocom California. “I’m proud to celebrate these highly skilled leaders and am confident they will continue to advance the industry for years to come.”

“It is an honor to have been selected as a Biocom California Life Science Catalyst Award Winner, especially among this year’s distinguished recipients,” said Dr. Bratt-Leal. “I am fortunate and thankful to have had the opportunity over the years to work on amazing science with some of the best partners at Scripps Research, the Summit for Stem Cell Foundation and AspenNeuroscience. Congratulations to the other awardees and thank you to Biocom for therecognition.”

At Aspen Neuroscience, Dr. Bratt-Leal is helping lead the development of the world’s first autologous (personalized) induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology to benefit people with Dr. Andrés Bratt-Leal Receives 2023 Biocom California Life Science Catalyst Award Page 2 Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Currently there is no disease-modifying treatment for PD, the second most common neurodegenerative disease affecting more than 10 million patients worldwide.

The work by Andrés and his team is helping to progress the entire stem cell field by advancing the development of a new treatment modality. Andrés received his PhD in BiomedicalEngineering from Georgia Tech and Emory University. In 2012, he joined The Scripps Research Institute as a post-doctoral fellow, where he began his work on creating patient-specific dopamine neurons for the treatment of PD. This postdoc work led to Dr. Bratt-Leal co-founding Aspen Neuroscience with Dr. Jeanne Loring, which spun out of Dr. Loring’s Scripps lab in 2018.

Aspen recently announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for ANPD001, enabling the company to proceed with an upcoming clinical trial for its personalized cell therapy to treat PD by replacing lost dopamine neurons.About Biocom CaliforniaBiocom California is the leader and advocate for California’s life science sector. The organization works on behalf of more than 1,700 members to drive public policy, build an enviable network of industry leaders, create access to capital, introduce cutting-edge STEM education programs and create robust value-driven purchasing programs.

About Biocom California

Founded in 1995 in San Diego, Biocom California provides the strongest public voice to research institutions and companies that fuel the local and state-wide economy. The organization’s goal is to help members produce novel solutions that improve the human condition. In addition to the San Diego headquarters, Biocom California operates core offices in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, with satellite offices in Sacramento, Washington, D.C., and Tokyo.

Dr. Xiaokui Zhang to Present Aspen Neuroscience, Inc. at 2022 Cell & Gene on the Mesa

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 11, 2022 — This week Xiaokui Zhang, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Aspen Neuroscience, Inc. will present at the 2022 Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa Conference in Carlsbad, Calif. including presenting a live corporate update and participating in a panel session to highlight new developments in the induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) field.

This morning Dr. Zhang will present “Transforming Cell Therapy: Autologous in the Neuroscience Space,” taking place at 9:15 a.m. in the Oxford Biomedica Ballroom. Dr. Zhang will provide the latest updates in a corporate overview of Aspen Neuroscience, which is developing the first iPSC-derived autologous neuron replacement treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD).

This Thursday, Dr. Zhang will serve as panel member for the discussion, “New Developments and Advancements in the World of PSCs,” which will highlight the latest advances in the field, taking place at 9:45 a.m. in the UBC Ballroom.

Headquartered in San Diego, Aspen Neuroscience, Inc. is a development stage, private biotechnology company focused on personalized autologous cell therapies. The company is developing iPSCs to address diseases with high unmet medical need, beginning with autologous neuron replacement for both sporadic and genetic forms of Parkinson’s disease, and extending across the brain and affected organs.

A leading iPSC company, Aspen combines stem cell biology with the latest artificial intelligence and genomic approaches to investigate patient-specific restorative treatments.

The company has developed a best-in-class platform to create and characterize pluripotent-derived cell medicines, which includes in-house bioinformatics, manufacturing and QC. Aspen’s platform consistently produces high quality iPSCs and autologous dopaminergic neurons and has broad potential with multiple opportunities to expand the current pipeline.

For more information and important updates, please visit aspenneuroscience.com.

Aspen Neuroscience Announces $147.5 Million Series B Financing, Led by GV, LYFE Capital and Revelation Partners

Will Fund Clinical Trials of Company’s First iPSC-derived Autologous Dopamine Neuron Replacement for Parkinson’s Disease

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Angelyn Lowe
media@aspenneuro.com

SAN DIEGO, Calif., May 9, 2022 — Aspen Neuroscience, Inc., a private biotechnology company developing autologous cell therapies, including the first iPSC-derived autologous neuron replacement treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD), today announced the close of its Series B funding round of $147.5 million.

GV, LYFE Capital and Revelation Partners co-led the investment round with participation from additional new investors Newton Investment Management, Singapore-based global investor EDBI, LifeForce Capital, Medical Excellence Capital Partners, Mirae Asset Capital, NS Investment and others. As part of the financing, Doug Fisher of Revelation Partners will join the board of directors.

The raise included significant investments from Series A/Seed investment teams including OrbiMed, ARCH Venture Partners, Frazier Life Sciences, Section32 and Alexandria Venture Investments.

“As the leader in autologous cell therapy development, Aspen Neuroscience is preparing to study its first cell replacement candidate in Parkinson’s disease,” said Damien McDevitt, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer. “This company was founded by a visionary team of scientists and patient advocates, who envisioned a day when personalized cell replacement could be used to target neurodegenerative diseases. We are happy to be aligned with such a prestigious group of founders and investors, having raised more than $220 million since the company’s founding, towards our mission to develop transformational medicines for patients with limited treatment options.”

The Series B funding will support the planned studies of the company’s lead product candidate for Parkinson’s disease, ANPD001, including its patient Screening Cohort study and the upcoming Phase 1/2a clinical trial, post-IND submission to FDA.

“This is an important milestone in the field of cell therapy for neurodegenerative diseases and we are immensely proud of this innovative team, who are working to transform the field and to modify the course of Parkinson’s disease,” said Faheem Hasnain, Aspen Neuroscience chairman.

Aspen is the leading company developing a personalized cell replacement using a patient’s own cells, eliminating the need for immunosuppressive therapy. Developed from a simple skin biopsy, each patient’s stem cell-derived dopamine neurons will be evaluated for potential effectiveness using proprietary AI-based genomics tools, before being transplanted for clinical use. Aspen Neuroscience’s process allows for a reduction in the time and cost of the manufacturing process required to produce a safe, reproducible, and personalized autologous cell therapy. To date, Aspen has performed in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrating that the protocol reliably produces dopamine-releasing neurons when examined both physiologically and functionally.

Dr. McDevitt, continued, “We combine stem cell biology with innovative AI/bioinformatic and manufacturing tools to develop patient-specific approaches. To that end, the Series B financing will also support our R&D pipeline, which includes autologous gene-corrected cells and programs that explore the treatment of other neurological diseases.”

About Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s Disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, affecting around one million Americans and greater than ten million people worldwide, with 60,000 people newly diagnosed every year. Even with the current standard of care therapy, patients eventually develop debilitating motor complications due to loss of dopamine neurons in the brain; approximately 50% are lost even before diagnosis. Cell replacement therapy of dopamine neurons has the potential to release dopamine and reconstruct neural networks.

About Aspen Neuroscience

Headquartered in San Diego, Aspen Neuroscience, Inc. is a development stage, private biotechnology company focused on personalized (autologous) cell therapies. The company is developing induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to address diseases with high unmet medical need, beginning with autologous neuron replacement for both sporadic and genetic forms of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and extending across the brain and affected organs.

A leading iPSC platform company, Aspen combines stem cell biology with the latest artificial intelligence and genomic approaches to investigate patient-specific, restorative treatments. The company has developed a best-in-class platform to create and characterize pluripotent-derived cell medicines, which includes in-house bioinformatics, manufacturing and QC. For more information and important updates, please visit aspenneuroscience.com.

The New News In Stem Cell Research

DEC 1, 2017 – PRESENTATION Empowerment Day 2017 – Parkinson’s Association of San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA

Genomics for Stem Cell-Based Therapies

MAR 14-15, 2019 – PRESENTATION
Future of Individualized Medicine – Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA

Aspen Neuroscience Launches First Patient Screening Study for Planned Clinical Trial of Personalized Cell Replacement in Parkinson’s Disease

SAN DIEGO, Calif., April 12, 2022 — Aspen Neuroscience, Inc., a private biotechnology company developing induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cell therapies, including the first autologous neuron replacement for Parkinson’s disease (PD), announced that this month it will launch the first patient screening study of its kind, working with multiple clinical screening sites in the U.S.

The company’s Trial-Ready Cohort Study is a preliminary step to filing an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the US Food & Drug Administration for ANPD001, its first therapeutic development candidate for potential treatment of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD). The Trial-Ready Cohort Study will provide information to and screen potential patient candidates for the company’s planned Phase 1/2A first-in-patient clinical trial of ANPD001. The company will announce multiple U.S. screening sites throughout the spring.

“This is an historic moment for patients and for the Aspen Neuroscience team, as we open our first screening study to expedite our investigation of iPSC-derived cell replacement therapies for Parkinson’s disease,” said Damien McDevitt, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer. “We are excited and very humbled to begin this next phase during Parkinson’s Awareness Month. This is a significant step forward for the patient community, for health care providers and the neuroscience field.”

PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, affecting around one million Americans and more than ten million people worldwide. Even with the current standard of care therapy, patients can eventually develop debilitating motor complications due to loss of dopamine neurons in the brain; approximately 50% are lost even before diagnosis.

Aspen Neuroscience is the leading company developing a personalized cell replacement that can eliminate the need for immunosuppressive therapy. The approach utilizes a patient’s own skin cell-derived iPSCs to produce replacement dopamine neurons for transplantation back into the same patient. Developed from a simple skin biopsy, each patient’s cells will be evaluated for potential effectiveness using proprietary AI-based genomics tools, before being transplanted for clinical use.

Scientific Leader Xiaokui Zhang, Ph.D. Joins Aspen Neuroscience as Chief Scientific Officer

SAN DIEGO, Calif., November 18, 2021 — Aspen Neuroscience, Inc., a private biotechnology company developing the first autologous neuron replacement therapies to treat Parkinson’s disease (PD), announced that Xiaokui Zhang, Ph.D., has joined the company as Chief Scientific Officer and as a member of the company’s executive team.

With 20 years of progressive biopharmaceutical industry experience in research, discovery and development to advance programs into early clinical development, Dr. Zhang will lead current scientific programs, as well as future platform and pipeline investments for the autologous iPSC platform company.

“As Aspen grows, we are excited to welcome Dr. Zhang,” said Damien McDevitt, Ph.D., Aspen Neuroscience president and chief executive officer. “Xiaokui’s expertise, which combines a deep background in stem cell research with strong regenerative medicine industry experience, will be important to Aspen as we develop on the solid foundation built by our incredible and expanding R&D team.”

“The next frontier in medicine is at the intersection of autologous, personalized medicine for every patient,” said Dr. Zhang. “The team that built the Aspen platform have accomplished feats that wouldn’t have been possible even 10 years ago, including combining autologous stem cells and AI-based bioinformatics to develop personalized therapies for patients with unmet medical needs. I am honored and excited for this rare opportunity to lead the next stage of Aspen’s scientific vision.”

Dr. Zhang’s research in functional characterizations of JAK-STAT signaling pathways and placental progenitor cell differentiation resulted in numerous patents and publications in highly ranked journals including Science. She has also served as a mentor to early-stage professionals in the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) and is the honoree of New Jersey Liberty Science Center Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Award.

Before joining Aspen. Dr. Zhang served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Celularity Inc., overseeing discovery, candidate development, preclinical, translational, process development and CMC activities to develop placenta-derived allogeneic, off-the-shelf cell therapy product candidates for immuno-oncology and functional regeneration applications. Dr. Zhang has also held various positions of increasing scope and responsibility at Celgene Cellular Therapeutics, including Director of Discovery Research and Senior Director of Research & Development. Before Celgene, Dr. Zhang led a gene discovery team at Helicon Therapeutics and conducted target identification studies in cognitive disorders.

Dr. Zhang received her undergraduate degree in Physiology from Nanjing University, Jiangsu, China and her doctorate in Molecular Cell Biology from the Rockefeller University, New York, New York, with further post-doctoral training in the Functional Genomics at Novartis Pharmaceuticals.

Industry Veteran Kameel Farag Joins Aspen Neuroscience as Chief Financial Officer

SAN DIEGO, Calif., Nov. 9, 2021 — Aspen Neuroscience, Inc., a private biotechnology company developing the first autologous neuron replacement therapies to treat Parkinson’s disease (PD), announced that Kameel Farag has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer and as a member of the company’s executive team.

“We are delighted to welcome Kameel to the team at this important stage of Aspen’s growth,” said Damien McDevitt, PhD, Aspen Neuroscience president and chief executive officer. “His strong strategic financial planning experience will be critical as we advance the company to the next stage of scale and sophistication.”

“Aspen Neuroscience is leading at the cutting edge of stem cell biology and bioinformatics, with an incredible team,” said Mr. Farag. “It is an honor to be joining an organization with the opportunity to make a meaningful difference on behalf of patients, and at such a significant time in the company’s growth.”

With more than 20 years of experience in financial strategy and forecasting for complex commercial-stage businesses, Kameel brings a depth of expertise to his role at Aspen. Prior to joining Aspen, Kameel served as SVP Finance at Ionis Pharmaceuticals. As a member of the senior leadership team, he was instrumental in supporting the company’s revenue and profitability growth by building out the finance team, systems and processes to support $1B+ in revenue, multiple marketed products, and a growing wholly-owned pipeline. Prior to Ionis, Kameel was with Amgen for more than 16 years, where he held positions of increased leadership, including heading finance for international regions where he focused on driving growth in emerging markets while growing profitability in established markets. Kameel earned his bachelor’s degree in Business & Economics at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Regulatory Affairs Expert Ana Sousa Joins Aspen Neuroscience as Senior Vice President

SAN DIEGO, July 12, 2021 — Aspen Neuroscience, Inc., a private biotechnology company developing the first autologous neuron replacement therapies to treat Parkinson’s disease (PD), announced today that Ana Sousa has joined the company as senior vice president of regulatory affairs and quality, and as a member of the company’s executive team.

“Ana’s extensive regulatory experience will empower Aspen, both commercially and scientifically, as we prepare to enter the clinic and move through the FDA approval process,” said Damien McDevitt, PhD, Aspen Neuroscience president and chief executive officer. “As a regulatory strategist, Ana combines large company experience with the agility of a small biotech mindset, and we are pleased to welcome her to the team.”

“I am excited to join Aspen, a leader in autologous stem cell research and development, at such a pivotal time in the company’s growth,” said Ms. Sousa. “Aspen’s platform and scientific rigor has the potential to make a tremendous impact on the trajectory of diseases of unmet medical need, such as Parkinson’s, among others. It is an honor to join a world-class team focused on this mission.”

With more than 20 years of experience in global development and regulatory affairs combined, Ana brings a depth of expertise to her role at Aspen. She previously led Global Regulatory Affairs and Quality for Principia Biopharma, focusing on bringing transformative therapies to patients with serious immune-mediated diseases by changing the way small molecules are developed. As a member of the leadership team, she was instrumental in developing the regulatory and corporate strategy, resulting in one of the most successful IPOs in 2018 with the subsequent acquisition of the company by Sanofi in 2020. Prior to Principia she held positions of increased leadership with Immune Design, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, and Genentech-Roche.

Ana received her undergraduate degree at Pace University, Lubin School of Business, and her Master of Science in Jurisprudence (MSJ) degree with a concentration in Health Law and Intellectual Property at The Seton Hall University School of Law.

Caryn Peterson Joins ASPEN Neuroscience Board of Directors

SAN DIEGO, June 22, 2021 — Aspen Neuroscience, Inc., a private biotechnology company developing the first autologous neuron replacement therapies to treat Parkinson’s disease (PD), announced today that Caryn Peterson, executive vice president of Regulatory Affairs for Gossamer Bio, has joined the Aspen Board of Directors.

“We welcome Caryn as an important addition to our board of directors,” said Faheem Hasnain, Aspen’s chairman of the board. “With more than 30 years of regulatory affairs and clinical development experience, Caryn will provide critical guidance as Aspen prepares to enter the clinic and move through the FDA approval process.”

“The next stage of Aspen’s growth includes building out our internal team of world-class scientists, and our external Board to advise and guide us as we progress towards the clinic,” said Damien McDevitt, PhD, president and CEO of Aspen Neuroscience. “Caryn is a strong addition to our board of directors, and we are excited to have her join as we advance a new potential treatment for Parkinson’s for patients with few options.”

Having served in a variety of leadership roles in the pharmaceutical and biotech fields, Caryn has focused on the development, integration, and implementation of global clinical and regulatory strategy across a broad range of therapeutic areas, including her current position as executive vice president, regulatory affairs for Gossamer Bio. Prior to joining Gossamer in 2018, Caryn was managing partner of Development & Strategic Consulting (“DSC”) Associates, LLC, vice president of regulatory affairs at Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc., vice president of regulatory affairs at FeRx Incorporated, and held managerial positions in both pharmaceutical development and regulatory affairs at Amylin Pharmaceuticals. Caryn began her career as a staff scientist at Hybritech Incorporated. She has coauthored several research publications and is a co-inventor on multiple patent applications.

“It is an honor to be joining Aspen’s board of directors at such a pivotal time in the company’s development,” said Peterson. “This company has the potential to be a transformational force in both regenerative medicine and in neurodegenerative diseases. I look forward to working with the Aspen team to make a real difference in the lives of Parkinson’s patients and their families.”