DUBLIN, Ireland, March 3, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Prothena Corporation plc (Nasdaq: PRTA ), a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel antibodies for the potential treatment of diseases that involve protein misfolding or cell adhesion, announced today the promotion of Tara Nickerson, PhD, MBA, to Chief Business Officer. Dr. Nickerson is responsible for leading corporate and business development, as well as alliance management efforts at Prothena. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Nickerson held the position of Head of Corporate and Business Development at Prothena, where she was instrumental during Prothena's demerger from Elan Corporation Limited (formerly Elan Corporation, plc) and led the team that developed Prothena's previously announced worldwide collaboration with Roche to develop and commercialize antibodies that target α-synuclein, including PRX002, Prothena's monoclonal antibody for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and other related synucleinopathies.
"Tara has brought significant business and biotechnology expertise to Prothena since our inception. As our Chief Business Officer, she can provide critical leadership to advance our research and clinical pipeline," said Dr. Dale Schenk, President and Chief Executive Officer of Prothena. "She has been an exceptional member of our senior management team and we look forward to working with Tara in her expanded role."
Prior to joining Prothena, Dr. Nickerson was Vice President and Head of Business Development at Elan Pharmaceuticals, where she was responsible for opportunity evaluation, diligence, negotiations, and contracting for external opportunities and established collaborations for Elan with academic investigators, foundations, and industry collaborators. Dr. Nickerson previously was a Senior Scientist at Axys Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Celera Genomics), where she led preclinical programs developing novel small molecule based therapeutics for oncology. Dr. Nickerson earned a BSc and PhD in Experimental Medicine from McGill University and an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley's Haas School of Business.
About Prothena
Prothena Corporation plc is a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel antibodies for the potential treatment of diseases that involve protein misfolding or cell adhesion. These potential therapies have a number of indications, including AL and AA forms of amyloidosis (NEOD001), Parkinson's disease and related synucleinopathies (PRX002), and novel cell adhesion targets involved in inflammatory diseases and metastatic cancers (PRX003). For more information, please visit www.prothena.com .
Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements relate to, among other things, our expectations regarding our Chief Business Officer's contributions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "should," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "predict," "project," "potential," "target," "will" and similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions. These statements are based on assumptions that may not prove accurate. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors including, but not limited to the risks and uncertainties described in Prothena's SEC filings, including the "Risk Factors" section of Prothena's Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Prothena undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or changes in Prothena's expectations.
Investors: Tran Nguyen, CFO 650-837-8535, Media: Anita Kawatra 646-256-5116,
