CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Feb. 19, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ADial Pharmaceuticals, LLC (ADial) announced today that Professor Bankole A. Johnson, D.Sc., M.D., the scientific founder and Chairman of the Board of ADial, will head a new Brain Science Research Consortium Unit (RCU) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
According to the University of Maryland, the RCU will "conduct large-scale, multidisciplinary studies on brain function (and dysfunction)," that address challenges presented by the National Institutes of Health's Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) initiative, a national research program established by President Obama in April 2013. BRAIN is designed to revolutionize the understanding of the human mind and uncover new ways to treat, prevent, and cure brain disorders like Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, autism, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury. Prof. Johnson will lead a steering committee of School of Medicine faculty, which will determine research areas for the RCU to explore, and establish centers of excellence to secure research grants, conduct large-scale studies, and facilitate discoveries in how the brain works and what causes brain disorders.
"This is a unique honor for Prof. Johnson to head an interdisciplinary group of leading scientists and to do 'Big Science' research that promises to yield landmark discoveries and new knowledge of how the human brain works in health and disease. Notably, the Consortium is poised to seek revolutionary changes in science that prevent, treat, and cure neurological disorders," said William Stilley, CEO of ADial. "ADial has benefited from Prof. Johnson's innovations in the area of creating medicines to treat addictions, and we look forward to following his progress."
About Dr. Bankole Johnson
Professor Bankole Johnson is a leading neuroscientist and clinician specializing in addictive disorders. He has pioneered investigation in the personalized treatment of alcohol addiction and is the holder of patents related to this research. The recipient of many awards, including the Jack Mendelson Award from the NIH in 2013, Prof. Johnson trained at Glasgow, London, and Oxford Universities. A practicing physician, psychiatrist and researcher for more than 25 years, Prof. Johnson has transformed our understanding of how abnormalities in the brain can promote addiction.
About ADial Pharmaceuticals, LLC
ADial Pharmaceuticals is a privately held pharmaceutical company developing medications for treating addiction diseases and disorders, including alcohol and drug addictions (cocaine, opioids, methamphetamines), as well as other addiction-like behaviors such as those related to obesity and eating disorders. The company's most advanced compound, AD04, specifically targets alcohol use disorder (previously called alcohol abuse and dependence) in patients with selected genotypes. For more information about ADial Pharmaceuticals, please visit http://www.adialpharma.com.