Alterity Therapeutics (ASX:ATH) has appointed internationally recognised neurologist Dr Daniel O Claassen as Chief Medical Advisor as the company prepares to advance its lead therapy into a pivotal late-stage clinical trial.
The appointment comes at a significant moment for the biotechnology company as it works to develop disease-modifying treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, particularly multiple system atrophy, a rare and rapidly progressive condition with limited therapeutic options.
Dr Claassen will begin the role this month while continuing his academic position at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he is Professor of Neurology.
With more than two decades of experience in clinical and translational research focused on movement disorders and cognitive and behavioural neurology, he brings extensive expertise in both patient care and clinical trial development. Over the course of his career, he has produced hundreds of peer-reviewed publications and secured competitive research funding from organisations such as the National Institutes of Health and the US Department of Defence.
Alterity Chief Executive Officer Dr David Stamler said the appointment underscores the importance of clinical leadership as the company advances its therapeutic candidate, ATH434, toward Phase 3 development. Claassen has already played a central role in the program as coordinating investigator in the company’s Phase 2 study and has been involved in the multiple system atrophy research effort since its early stages. According to Stamler, his deep knowledge of neurodegenerative disease and experience conducting complex trials will help guide the next stage of clinical development.
For Claassen, the role represents an opportunity to extend his academic research into developing new treatments for patients with serious neurological diseases. He highlighted the urgent need for therapies that can slow disease progression and pointed to encouraging Phase 2 results showing clinically meaningful slowing of progression in multiple system atrophy with ATH434. He will advise on the clinical strategy for the therapy as it moves toward a pivotal trial and support the advancement of additional experimental treatments emerging from Alterity’s drug discovery platform.
At Vanderbilt, Claassen previously served as Chief of the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology and has led a research program exploring neurodegeneration through clinical trials, advanced neuroimaging, cognitive neuroscience and biomarker discovery. He also serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Huntington’s Study Group, where he oversees international research collaborations designed to accelerate therapy development.
Headquartered in Melbourne and San Francisco, Alterity Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on therapies that target the underlying causes of neurological disease. Its lead candidate, ATH434, has shown promising results in randomised and open-label Phase 2 trials in people with multiple system atrophy, positioning the company to move forward with a pivotal Phase 3 study to confirm the therapy’s potential to slow disease progression.