Action required: Please refresh your browser
We have recently implemented some changes that require a hard refresh of your browser: Please hold down the CTRL-key and press the F5 key.
After a successful hard refresh, this message should not appear anymore.
More details about this topic are available here »
FundaMental Pharma appoints Dr. Dirk Beher as Chief Executive Officer | ||
By: GlobeNewswire - 11 Apr 2024 | Back to overview list |
|
PRESS RELEASE FundaMental Pharma appoints Dr. Dirk Beher as Chief Executive Officer
Heidelberg, Germany, 11 April 2024 – FundaMental Pharma GmbH (‘FundaMental’ or ‘The Company’), a neuroscience company developing first-in-class small molecule inhibitors for the treatment of a range of neurodegenerative diseases, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Dirk Beher as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Board member. Dr. Beher assumes this role from Dr. Thomas Schulze, who co-founded FundaMental and has been at the helm since its inception. Dr. Schulze will transition to the Board of Directors as part of a carefully planned succession strategy. Dr. Beher brings a wealth of experience to FundaMental, having served as a successful founder, drug developer, and long-time Chief Executive Officer in the European biotech sector. Previously, he led Asceneuron, a CNS-focused biotech company he co-founded, for over a decade. Under his leadership, Asceneuron secured significant funding and advanced two programs from early discovery into clinical trials. Before his tenure in biotech leadership, Dr. Beher spent 14 years in pharmaceutical drug discovery, leading R&D teams at global organizations such as Merck Sharp & Dohme (UK), Amgen (USA), and Merck Serono (CH). Dirk was educated at the Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg, Germany and holds a Diploma (M.S.) and a Ph.D. in Biology. He is an inventor and holds numerous patents and is an author of over 50 peer-reviewed publications and reviews in the field of neurodegeneration. “It has been a pleasure to work with Thomas over the last few years and I look forward to his continued participation at Board meetings. He leaves a strong foundation and legacy, in particular, setting up the business, establishing biological and chemical resources for the company and bringing the first molecules into lead optimization. I also look forward to working with Dirk as we prepare for the next stage of FundaMental’s growth,” commented Dr. Keno Gutierrez, Chairman of FundaMental’s Board of Directors. “FundaMental is working on a novel mechanism of action that blocks glutamate neurotoxicity without the undesired effects on the function of synaptic glutamate receptors which positions the company as a distinct player in field of neurodegeneration,” said Dr. Dirk Beher, new Chief Executive Officer of FundaMental. “I am excited to join FundaMental to build on the excellent foundations Thomas and his team have laid while further scaling of the Company into a fully-fledged biotech to bring much needed medicines to patients“. “Leading FundaMental Pharma since its inception has been a highlight of my professional career”, added Dr Thomas Schulze, former Chief Executive Officer, and Non-Executive Director. “On the basis of world-class research and backed by seasoned investors who joined at an early stage, we have built a company and laid the foundation for the development of new medicines based on a completely new pharmacological principle with ground-breaking potential for the treatment of neurodegeneration. I look forward to working closely with Dirk, Keno, the Board of Directors and the Management team as we continue to realize FundaMental's success story." Alongside the new CEO appointment, FundaMental welcomes the Novartis Venture Fund to its existing group of seed investors, increasing the seed financing to €12.7 million. As a result, Dr. Mathias Frederiksen from the Novartis Venture Fund will join the FundaMental Board of Directors as a Non-Executive Director. -ENDS- For more information please contact: FundaMental Pharma GmbH ICR Consilium (Media) Ashley Tapp, Jack Bissett About FundaMental Pharma GmbH About Novartis Venture Fund |
||
|
||
Copyright 2024 GlobeNewswire | Back to overview list |