GENOA, Italy– IAMA Therapeutics, a preclinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel medicines to make a difference in the lives of children affected by brain disorders, today announced the addition of Paul Frohna M.D., Ph.D., PharmD, Pierandrea Muglia, M.D. and Elaine Wirrell, M.D., to its Scientific Advisory Board.
“We are pleased and honored to welcome Dr. Frohna, Dr. Muglia and Dr. Wirrell to our SAB, where they’ll be joining a distinguished group of scientific thought leaders and industry experts committed to the development of innovative medicines for neurological conditions, including epilepsies and autism,” said Andrea P. Malizia, Ph.D., MBA, Chief Executive Officer at IAMA Therapeutics. “Dr. Frohna has extensive experience guiding companies in bringing medicines into and through clinical studies, Dr. Muglia has diverse experience across both the business and R&D sides of the biotech industry and Dr. Wirrell brings deep expertise in pediatric neurological conditions. We’re excited to have them on board as we seek to advance our multi-program pipeline of drug candidates and make a meaningful impact in the lives of children with brain disorders.”
Paul Frohna, M.D., Ph.D., PharmD – Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research and Development at ImCheck Therapeutics
Dr. Frohna is the Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research and Development at ImCheck Therapeutics. Before joining ImCheck, Dr. Frohna was Chief Medical Officer at Bioniz Therapeutics, where he led clinical and regulatory affairs functions and was responsible for the operational oversight of the Company’s clinical programs in T-cell leukemia and lymphoma and autoimmune diseases. Before this role, Dr. Frohna was the Vice President of Clinical Development and Translational Medicine at Receptos Inc. Prior to Receptos, he served as the Chief Medical Officer of ProFibrix, Inc. and previously held senior clinical development positions at Fibrogen and Genentech. He is an independent director on the board of Accure Therapeutics, a Barcelona-based, clinical-stage private biotech developing first-in-class neurotherapeutics.
Dr. Frohna received his pharmacy degree from the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy, his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and his M.D. from Georgetown University School of Medicine.
Pierandrea Muglia, M.D. – CNS Early Clinical Development Executive and Entrepreneur
Dr. Muglia has held numerous leadership and entrepreneurial roles across large and medium-size pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Most recently, Dr. Muglia served as Vice President and Head of Neurology Early Clinical Development at UCB Pharma, where he contributed to shaping the neurology strategy and pipeline organically and inorganically through assets and company acquisitions. Previously, Dr. Muglia served as CMO at Handl Therapeutics and was President and Founder of GRIN Therapeutics, a clinical stage company focused on developing a small molecule for a genetically defined orphan epilepsy syndrome.
During his tenure with Academic Clinicians, prior to his biopharma career, Dr. Muglia served residence roles at the San Francisco Department of Public Health Child Psychiatry Services, was a Post-Doc MRC-Canada Fellow and Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. Dr Muglia has over 100 publications in the field of neuropsychopharmacology, drug development, and human genetics in high impact journals and he is part of scientific advisory board and committees of not-for-profit initiatives and orphan disease patient advocacy associations.
Dr. Muglia has advisory roles in several biotech companies developing novel therapeutics for CNS disorders, and is a Board member of Saniona AB, a Scandinavian public company active in developing new treatments for CNS indications.
Elaine Wirrell, M.D. – Director of Pediatric Epilepsy and Professor of Neurology at the Mayo Clinic
Dr. Elaine Wirrell is the Chair and Professor of Child Neurology and Program Director of Child and Adolescent Neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She completed medical school at the University of British Columbia and her Pediatric Neurology training at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Dr. Wirrell is the past Co-chair of the Nosology and Status Epilepticus Task Force and a member of the Pediatrics Task Force of the International League Against Epilepsy. She serves as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Epilepsy.com and is on the Medical Advisory Board for the Dravet Syndrome Foundation and the Lennox-Gastaut Foundation.
Dr. Wirrell’s main research interests are early onset, medically intractable epilepsies, including developmental and epileptic encephalopathies, and epidemiology and comorbidities of pediatric epilepsy. She is the recipient of the 2021 Kiffin-Penry Award from the American Epilepsy Society and the 2016 Distinguished Clinician Award from the Mayo Clinic.
