Major Researchers Join of the Scientific Advisory Board
of The CMT Research Foundation
October 18, 2018 (Atlanta, GA) – Four scientific and clinical experts in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) have joined the CMT Research Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board. CMTRF is the only not-for-profit organization focused solely on delivering treatments and cures for CMT. Drs. Gabsang Lee, Thomas Lloyd, Alexander Rossor and Richard Shimkets will provide the CMTRF with the latest clinical data and jointly review potential research projects and determine their readiness and application to translational research for CMT.
“This esteemed group brings a wealth of skills, knowledge and clinical expertise to the Advisory Board including use of innovative pathways like adult stem cells and gene therapy,” says Patrick Livney, CMTRF Chairman of the Board. “In particular, Dr. Lee’s expertise in the use of adult stem cells in drug screening brings the human element to a pre-clinical validation of candidate drugs and, Dr. Shimkets’ work in biotech brings the industry voice to the vetting process.
“All four are leaders in pertinent industry groups like the Inherited Neuropathies Consortium, the Peripheral Nerve Society and The Antibody Society, giving them a holistic perspective of the research landscape for CMT. Already we have received three proposals for projects already and will deploy the Scientific Advisory Board to review them in short order. As projects are deemed priorities for funding, the CMTRF will move forward to fund these projects, continuing to drive research forward quickly,” adds Mr. Livney.”
The CMT Research Foundation will continue to add members to the Scientific Advisory Board in the coming weeks to round out different aspects of drug development for CMT.
The CMT Research Foundation (CMTRF) is the only organization focused solely on delivering treatments and cures for CMT. Founded by two patients who are driven to expedite drug delivery to people who live with CMT globally, the organization funds research and drug development. The 501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt organization is supported by personal and corporate financial gifts. To inquire about research proposals or to support the research efforts, please visit www.cmtrf.org
BIOGRAPHIES
Dr. Gabsang Lee – Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Gabsang Lee obtained his B.S., D.V.M., Ph.D. degrees in Veterinary Medicine at the Seoul National University, South Korea. After his post-doctoral training at Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, he joined the faculty of Johns Hopkins as Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology and Institute for Cell Engineering (ICE), and now promoted to Associate Professor. Dr. Lee has a strong background in modelling human genetic disorders by using reprogramming technology, including induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). He has dedicated his career to establishing a human iPSC-based model system to study peripheral nervous system disorders. The international scientific community recognizes and values Dr. Lee’s knowledge, and this is exemplified by many awards he received including the Robertson Investigator Award from the New York Stem Cell Foundation (one of the largest awards from private foundations), and his active participation in journal peer review activities and domestic/international research grant programs in the area of stem cell research, neurodegenerative diseases, and high throughput screening. He has been invited as an invited speaker to more than 50 conferences in US and international locations.
Dr. Thomas Lloyd – Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Lloyd is a physician-scientist at Johns Hopkins University specializing in Hereditary Motor Neuron Diseases. He obtained his M.D. and Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He completed his Neurology Residency and Neuromuscular Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He was awarded the Passano Young Investigator award and S. Weir Mitchell Award through the American Academy of Neurology for excellence in neuroscience research during his training.
Dr. Lloyd has served as co-director of the Johns Hopkins CMT Center and site Principle Investigator of the Inherited Neuropathy Consortium since 2010. His laboratory at Johns Hopkins investigates the mechanisms of inherited motor neurodegenerative diseases including CMT and ALS. In particular, his laboratory has studied the cause of Hereditary Motor Neuropathy type 7B (DCTN1), CMT type 2C (TRPV4), and CMT type 4J (FIG4). He was awarded the Wolfe Neuropathy Research Prize from the American Neurological Association in 2012 that honors outstanding investigators who identify a new cause or treatment of axonal peripheral neuropathy.
Dr. Alexander Rossor – UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology
Alex Rossor is an honorary consultant neurologist and Wellcome Trust Post-Doctoral Clinical Fellow at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK. He graduated in medicine with honours with distinction from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in medicine where he has was also awarded the Goyder Memorial Scholarship and Luke Armstrong Prize in pathology. He undertook specialist neurology training in London, completing a PhD on Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease with Professor Mary Reilly at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology.
He currently works as a clinician scientist at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology in the laboratory of Professor Giampietro Schiavo researching the role of receptor trafficking in forms of hereditary motor neuropathy. He is also the hospital board representative for the European Reference Network for Rare Neuromuscular Diseases and is an associate editor of the Journal of the Peripheral Nerve Society.
Dr. Richard Shimkets – Abeome Corporation
Rick serves as the President and CEO of Abeome Corporation. Prior to joining Abeome, he served as Vice President of Drug Discovery and Vice President of Scientific Development for CuraGen Corporation. He developed and managed partnerships with Genentech, Biogen, Bayer, and other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Shimkets earned his Ph.D. from Yale University in genetics.
