Proteostasis Therapeutics Expands Management Team with Two Strategic Positions

- Company adds CMO and Senior Vice President of Chemistry leading into two anticipated IND filings in 2014 and 2015 -

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Proteostasis Therapeutics, Inc., a company developing novel therapeutics that regulate protein homeostasis to improve outcomes for patients with neurodegenerative and orphan diseases, announced today that two new senior executives have joined the Company’s management team. Proteostasis has appointed David Weiner, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer and Markus Haeberlein, MSc, Ph.D., as Senior Vice President of Chemistry.

“Dave and Markus bring a wealth of research and development experience to our company and will play pivotal roles as we move our lead clinical candidates into IND filings in 2014 and 2015. I am pleased to welcome them to our management team”

“Dave and Markus bring a wealth of research and development experience to our company and will play pivotal roles as we move our lead clinical candidates into IND filings in 2014 and 2015. I am pleased to welcome them to our management team,” commented Mark Enyedy, Chief Executive Officer. “Dave will formulate and execute the development and regulatory strategy for our current pipeline as well as identify potential in-licensing opportunities to support our overall corporate growth strategy. Markus will lead our efforts to identify and optimize leads that modulate key pathways within the Proteostasis Network to strengthen and diversify our pipeline.”

David Weiner, M.D., brings more than 20 years of industry and professional medical experience to Proteostasis Therapeutics. Prior to joining the Company, Dr. Weiner served in key development roles over a five-year period at EMD Serono, Inc., most recently as Vice President and Head of Early Clinical Development, Neurodegenerative Diseases. Before joining EMD Serono, Dr. Weiner spent almost a decade at ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc., in both research and clinical development positions, including Principal Scientist/Group Leader for Target Validation and Medical Director. Dr. Weiner’s clinical experience includes faculty appointments in Neuroscience and Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, and the Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of Vermont. He trained in Neurology at New York Hospital, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital, and Cornell Medical Center after completing a Medical Internship at St. Vincent’s Hospital & Medical Center in New York, and receiving his M.D. from the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, SUNY at Buffalo. Dr. Weiner also serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Markus Haeberlein, MSc, Ph.D., spent 15 years at AstraZeneca in positions of increasing responsibility, most recently as Director, Head of Medicinal Chemistry, CNS and Pain IMed, where he oversaw more than 100 scientists and contributed to over 15 neurology and pain drug candidates as well as novel PET ligands for Alzheimer’s disease. Starting in 2009, he was also Chair of AstraZeneca’s Global Chemistry Network, overseeing all global chemistry activities at the Company. He received a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry/Computational Chemistry and a MSc in Physical Chemistry/Biochemistry/Organic Chemistry from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. He currently serves on the board of the Swedish National Committee for Chemistry and has been the recipient of multiple awards for his studies and teaching.

About Proteostasis Therapeutics

Proteostasis Therapeutics is developing disease-modifying therapeutics for orphan and neurodegenerative diseases. The Company’s lead programs in cystic fibrosis (CF) and protein aggregation disorders such as Parkinson’s disease modulate protein chaperone and proteasomal degradation pathways within the cell. These pathways are part of the cellular ‘quality control’ machinery, called the protein homeostasis network or Proteostasis Network (PN) that regulates protein folding, trafficking, and clearance. By enhancing the function and capacity of the PN, the Company’s product candidates correct for imbalances in the PN resulting from the cumulative effects of disease, genetic mutations, environmental factors, and aging. For more information, please visit www.proteostasis.com.