MitoRx Therapeutics Strengthens Scientific Advisory Board with Appointment of Four International Experts

Company is advancing mitochondriotropic therapeutic pipeline for rare neuromuscular disorders and neurodegenerative diseases


OXFORD, United Kingdom, March 07, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MitoRx Therapeutics (MitoRx), a biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics that reverse mitochondrial dysfunction to arrest the progression of degenerative diseases, announces the appointment of four distinguished international experts to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB): Caroline Le Guiner PhD, Milos Filipovic PhD, Professor Phil Hansbro PhD, and Professor Annemieke Aartsma-Rus.

Dr. Jon Rees, Chief Executive Officer of MitoRx, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Le Guiner, Dr. Filipovic, Professor Hansbro, and Professor Aartsma-Rus, to our Scientific Advisory Board. These accomplished scientists bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in gene therapy, chemical biology, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and respiratory research, bolstering our efforts in developing transformative treatments for degenerative diseases with the world's only mitochondrial platform restoring sulfide-signaling."

Dr. Caroline Le Guiner is a renowned preclinical expert and team leader at the TaRGeT lab (Translational Research for Gene Therapy, INSERM, Nantes Université and University Hospital of Nantes) in Nantes, France, who has over two decades of experience in translational research focused on gene therapy for rare muscular diseases, playing a pivotal role in coordinating international networks aimed at developing therapeutic solutions for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).

Dr. Milos Filipovic is a distinguished researcher with expertise in chemical biology who brings his wealth of experience in cysteine post-translational modifications and their implications in aging and aging-associated diseases. Having led research groups at prestigious institutions such as the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Leibniz Institute for Analytical Sciences in Dortmund, Dr. Filipovic's insights will be invaluable in advancing MitoRx's understanding of redox changes in cellular signaling.

Professor Phil Hansbro is a globally recognized authority in respiratory research. As Director of the Centenary/UTS Centre for Inflammation, he has made significant contributions to the identification of novel treatments for chronic lung diseases. His extensive publication record and track record in securing research funding underscore his expertise in this field. He led the presentation of research at the 10th Annual Meeting of the International Cytokine and Interferon Society which showed MitoRx’s compounds provided an anti-fibrotic effect and preserved lung function in a COPD model.

Professor Annemieke Aartsma-Rus is professor of translational genetics at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). She has a visiting professorship at the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Center at the UK’s Newcastle University. In 2016 & 2017 she was elected as the most influential scientist in the field of Duchenne muscular dystrophy based on publications of the past decade. In 2014 she was accepted in the Jonge Akademie (Dutch Royal Academy of Sciences), consisting of the 50 most prominent scientists of under 45.

The company’s first-in-class mitochondriotropic therapeutic pipeline is aimed at restoring the function of sulfide-signaling, which targets mitochondria dysfunction linked to the progression of rare diseases such as the neuromuscular disorder DMD, the neurodegenerative disorder Huntington’s disease (HD), and has also been implicated in common neurodegenerative diseases.

The Company’s promising preclinical results validate its platform in a mammalian model of severe neuromuscular disease, which is extendable to other degenerative diseases, and additional evidence has been generated in a mammalian respiratory disease model through its academic collaborators.

A recent seed extension financing round was backed by a broad range of investors, and the company expects to see preclinical readouts in DMD and HD by the end of Q2 2024.

Company Contact (MitoRx)

Jon Rees, CEO

Email: jon.rees@mitorxtherapeutics.com 

Phone: +44(0)7826 556622

Media Contact (Scius Communications)

Katja Stout, Managing Partner

Email: katja@sciuscommunications.com 

Phone: +44(0)7789 435990

About MitoRx Therapeutics

At MitoRx our mission is to become the leading global developer of medicines arresting the progression of degenerative diseases driven by mitochondrial dysfunction. We are a preclinical stage biotechnology company developing our first-in-class first-in-target, orally delivered, mitochondriotropic therapeutics targeting rare neuromuscular disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.

Located in Harwell, Oxford, we have raised £4m seed financing from investors including the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund, Wren Capital, Longevitytech.fund, the Fink Family Office, the Science Angel Syndicate Network, Oxford Technology Management, as well as angel investors. For more information visit our website at www.mitorxtherapeutics.com and follow us on LinkedIn.