NEW YORK, Nov. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sparian Biosciences, Inc. (“Sparian”), a clinical-stage CNS-focused biopharmaceutical company, is proud to announce formation of a Science Advisory Board (SAB) with the appointments of Eric Nestler, M.D./PhD, Frances Levin M.D. and Nathaniel Katz, M.D. The SAB was established around clear areas of expertise related to Sparian’s therapeutic focus on pain and substance use disorders.
“We took time to carefully and deliberately construct our SAB to include internationally recognized thought leaders with both academic and industry experience translating cutting edge science and innovative drugs,” said Jeffrey B. Reich, M.D. CEO and Co-Founder of Sparian. “We wanted advisors who were prolific in our clinical space and who were willing to share their time, experience and ideas. It’s a real honor to have Drs Nestler, Levin and Katz join the team and support our mission.”
Eric Nestler, M.D./ PhD is the Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience, Director of the Friedman Brain Institute, and Dean for Academic Affairs at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Chief Scientific Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. He has served on the Boards of Scientific Counselors of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, on the National Advisory Mental Health Council for the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Advisory Drug Abuse Council for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, as Council Member of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (president in 2011) and the Society for Neuroscience (president in 2017). He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation and of One Mind, as well as a past member of the Board of Directors of the McKnight Endowment Fund in Neuroscience. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 1998 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2005. Dr Nestler is the author of more than 725 peer-reviewed publications and reviews. He directs six research projects funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute of Mental Health.
Frances R. Levin, M.D. is the Kennedy-Leavy Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University and the Chief of the Division on Substance Use Disorders at Columbia University – New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI). She is currently on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP), the College on Drug Dependence (CPDD), and the American Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD). She is an editorial board member of three journals, past President of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, and past Chair of the APA Council on Addiction Psychiatry. Dr. Levin has written over two-hundred and fifty articles and book chapters and has served as primary investigator on dozens of industry and academic lead clinical trials in substance use disorders.
Nathaniel Katz, M.D. was co-founder and former CEO of Analgesic Solutions and Chief Science Officer of WCG – Analgesic Solutions. He is currently President of Ein Sof Innovation and Chief Medical Officer of Chariton Pharmaceuticals. Dr Katz served as Chair of the Advisory Committee, Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Addiction Products Division, United States FDA, from 2000 – 2004. Dr Katz has had over 30 years experience directing, conducting and participating in clinical trials of treatments for pain, both industry-initiated and investigator-initiated, involving pharmaceuticals, non-pharmaceutical analgesics and devices.
About Sparian Biosciences
Sparian Biosciences is a clinical-stage CNS-focused biopharmaceutical company committed to developing transformational therapies to address significant medical needs. The company was co-founded by Jeff Reich, M.D., and Gavril Pasternak, M.D., Ph.D., and was spun out of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). Sparian has five programs that address acute and chronic pain, opioid use disorder (OUD), acute opioid overdose, and stimulant use disorder (StUD). Sparian is the recipient of two NIDA UG3/UH3 grants and an SBIR grant totaling nearly $41M in NIH support. For more information, visit www.Sparianbiosciences.com.
