ATLANTA (June 21, 2023) CMT Research Foundation (CMTRF), a patient-led, non-profit focused on delivering treatments and cures for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease*, today announced that Dr. William W. Motley, a neurologist with a doctorate in neurogenetics with fifteen years of research experience focused on elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms of inherited neuropathies, has joined its Board of Directors.
“William Motley is a life-sciences company builder with experience helping to launch companies in diverse therapeutic areas,” says Patrick Livney, co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of CMTRF. “He brings to the Board expertise in scientific and technical evaluation of therapeutic targets for neurological indications, and multiple therapeutic modalities including small molecule and cell and gene therapy platforms. Moreover, Dr. Motley is a trained neurologist and drug developer with a deep understanding of clinical presentations, molecular diagnostic tests, evidence-based treatments, emerging therapeutic approaches, pharmacodynamic biomarkers, and clinical trial design, whose academic research was focused on CMT. He has been on our Scientific Advisory Board for several years and we now welcome his advice and counsel at the Board level.”
Dr. Motley is currently Senior Director of Clinical Development and Program Lead at Rapport Therapeutics, a precision neuroscience company, and worked as a consultant to the company’s founding team at Boston-based Third Rock Ventures. Previously he served as Director of Translational Medicine for Flare Therapeutics and was a Senior Associate at Third Rock Ventures where he was a member of Flare’s founding team and worked on diverse aspects of company creation. Dr. Motley also serves as a member of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board of Palvella Therapeutics, a company focused on bringing therapies to patients with rare dermatologic diseases with no approved therapies. A member of CMTRF’s Scientific Advisory Board since 2020, he holds an MD from the University of Pennsylvania, a Doctorate in Neurogenetics from the University of Oxford (UK) and a BA in Biochemistry from Middlebury College.
“Working to advance the CMTRF’s mission to bring therapies to patients with CMT is an extremely gratifying way to use my experience as an academic researcher and drug developer,” says Dr. Motley. “The CMTRF has distinguished itself as an organization whose agility and focus allows it to fund projects at key inflection points to bridge gaps and break down barriers to fuel the efficient translation of insights from the lab to the clinic. I look forward to partnering with the leadership team and the board to continue to proactively partner with academic and industry labs to expand the therapeutic pipeline for patients with CMT.”
CMT Research Foundation (CMTRF) is a patient-led, non-profit focused on delivering treatments and cures for CMT. The foundation identifies significant obstacles or deficiencies impeding progress towards a cure and seeks out collaborators to address these issues. It’s their mission to raise funds to invest in promising science with high potential of leading to treatments and cures. Founded by two patients who are driven to expedite drug delivery to people who live with CMT, the 501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt organization is supported by personal and corporate financial gifts.
*Charcot-Marie-Tooth encompasses a group of inherited, chronic peripheral neuropathies that result in nerve degradation. CMT patients suffer from progressive muscle atrophy of legs and arms, causing walking, running and balance problems as well as abnormal functioning of hands and feet. CMT affects one in 2,500 people (about the same prevalence as cystic fibrosis), including 150,000 Americans and nearly 3 million people worldwide. At the moment, there is no treatment or cure for CMT.
