Denovo Biopharma Announces Formation of Neuroscience Scientific Advisory Board to Advance Precision Medicine in Depression
- Scientific Advisory Board brings together distinguished experts in neuroscience to support Denovo’s CNS development programs, including the Phase 3-ready lead program, biomarker-guided DB104 (liafensine) in treatment-resistant depression (TRD) -
SAN DIEGO, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Denovo Biopharma LLC, a pioneer in applying precision medicine to development of innovative drugs, today announced the formation of its neuroscience-focused Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) comprised of distinguished experts in the field. The SAB will be chaired by Charles B. Nemeroff, M.D., Ph.D., Chair and Professor of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Nemeroff served as president of the American College of Psychiatrists and the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and is past-president of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA).
“We are extremely honored to welcome such a distinguished group of scientific leaders to join our efforts at Denovo Biopharma as we work towards addressing a major unmet need in the psychiatry field with a novel precision medicine,” said Wen Luo, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Denovo Biopharma. “As we prepare our lead asset, DB104, to enter a biomarker-guided Phase 3 study in TRD, we believe their guidance will be instrumental in shaping both our clinical development strategy and our regulatory path forward. We are thankful for their support and look forward to collaborating as we work to advance a first-in-class, potentially transformative therapy for patients with TRD.”
Other members of Denovo’s neuroscience Scientific Advisory Board include:
Stephen Brannan, M.D., is a neuroscience drug development expert with over 15 years of industry experience. He most recently served as Chief Medical Officer at Karuna Therapeutics, where he was instrumental in the development of CobenfyTM for the treatment of schizophrenia, which was later acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb for $14 billion. Prior to Karuna, Dr. Brannan was the Therapeutic Head of Neuroscience at Takeda and Vice President for Clinical Research and Medical Affairs at Forum Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Brannan has been active in the development of multiple important central nervous system treatments including Cymbalta®, Exelon Patch®, Trintellix®, and Vagal Nerve Stimulation for TRD during his tenures at Forum, Takeda, Novartis, Cyberonics, and Eli Lilly.
Sanjay Mathew, M.D., is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Director of Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, and Vice Chair for Research at Baylor College of Medicine. He is currently ADAA's President-Elect and Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Mathew is a leading expert in the areas of experimental therapeutics and pathophysiology of TRD, suicide, and PTSD.
About DB104 (biomarker-guided liafensine)
Liafensine is a first-in-class triple reuptake inhibitor targeting transporters for serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. It was licensed from Albany Molecular Research, Inc. (now Curia) and was previously developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), who had conducted two large Phase 2b clinical trials in non-selected TRD patient population. Denovo’s unique artificial intelligence (AI) and whole genome sequencing (WGS)-based Denovo Genomic Marker (DGM™) biomarker platform allowed discovery of a novel genetic biomarker at the ANK3 gene, with a strong correlation of ANK3-positive status with liafensine’s efficacy in the BMS studies. Denovo’s ENLIGHTEN Phase 2b study results prospectively demonstrated the use of ANK3 as a predictive biomarker for liafensine’s efficacy in TRD patients, a first for genetic biomarkers in psychiatry.
About Denovo Biopharma
Denovo Biopharma LLC is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that uses novel biomarker approaches to execute efficient clinical trials in targeted patient subpopulations to increase the probability of success. Denovo has seven late-stage drugs in its pipeline addressing major unmet medical needs in central nervous system diseases and oncology, most of which are first in class drugs with global rights. Visit www.denovobiopharma.com for additional information.
Investor Contact:
Stephen Jasper
Gilmartin Group
