112. New approaches in CNS diseases, Brad Margus, Co-founder and Executive Chairman, Cerevance

Brad Margus is co-founder and Executive Chairman of Cerevance, a drug discovery company advancing a robust pipeline of targeted treatments for patients with neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. The company's lead program, CVN424, has recently shown significant and clinically meaningful efficacy and safety in a 135-patient, phase 2 clinical study for Parkinson’s Disease. Investors include Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Google Ventures, Bill Gates, Casdin Capital, Lightstone Ventures, Foresite Capital, UPMC Enterprises, Dolby Ventures and the Dementia Discovery Fund. In 2013, Margus started Genome Bridge, a non-profit subsidiary of the Broad Institute of Harvard and M.I.T., to build a computational platform for sharing genomic data. From 2009 to 2012, as co-founder and CEO of Envoy Therapeutics, Margus led the discovery of therapeutics for brain diseases and then sold the company to Takeda Pharmaceuticals. From 2000 to 2007, Margus was co-founder and CEO of Perlegen Sciences, a leader in analyzing genetic variation. Concurrent with his business career, for the last 25+ years, Margus has worked as a volunteer in founding and leading the A-T Children’s Project, a non-profit that orchestrates and funds research on a rare disease - ataxia telangiectasia or "A-T" - that two of his sons have. A-T causes progressive loss of muscle control, cancer and immune system problems. One supported project involves testing an antisense oligonucleotide gene therapy approach for A-T. Margus currently serves on the Boards of Arvinas (Nasdaq: ARVN), a protein degradation company; Presage Bio, an oncology company; and Neurona, a cell therapy company. He also serves as Co-chair of the Network for Excellence in Neuroscience Clinical Trials External Oversight Board at the Nat'l. Institutes of Health. Margus previously served on the Advisory Council to the National Inst. of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; the Secretary of HHS's Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health and Society; the Board of the Genetic Alliance, representing hundreds of genetic disease advocacy organizations; the Nat'l. Center for Advancing Translational Sciences Advisory Council at the NIH, the Cure Acceleration Network Review Board; as a Harvard Business School Global Advisor, as an advisor to Counsyl (acquired by Myriad Genetics); on the Board of Children’s Neurobiological Solutions; the Board of Cellular Research, a molecular biology tool company (acquired by Becton Dickinson); the Board of Second Genome, a microbiome company; the Board of Global Genes, a non-profit supporting all rare diseases; and on the Stanford University School of Medicine’s Stem Cell Research Oversight Committee. Margus holds an MBA from Harvard.