- Dr. Frankel brings significant executive management experience in the development of successful therapeutics to Nocion as it continues the Phase 2b clinical trial of Taplucainium for chronic cough.
WATERTOWN, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nocion Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel small molecule charged sodium channel blockers called “nocions”, that selectively affect actively firing nociceptors for the treatment of serious conditions involving cough, itch, and pain, today announced that it had appointed Matthew Frankel, M.D., MBA as Chief Medical Officer.
“We are delighted to welcome Matthew to the senior management team as we continue the clinical development of Taplucainium for chronic cough and the evolution of Nocion’s platform,” said Rick Batycky, CEO of Nocion Therapeutics. “Matthew brings important expertise and perspective from many years of large pharma medical management experience.”
“I am thrilled to join Nocion as we drive the ongoing Phase 2b refractory chronic cough trial forward to completion,” said Matthew Frankel, newly appointed CMO of Nocion Therapeutics. “I look forward to working with the team and the scientific community to help realize the vast potential of this platform which can silence nerves that cause the sensation of pain—while leaving touch and movement neurons unaffected.”
Matthew Frankel, M.D., MBA
Before joining Nocion, Dr. Frankel served as Chief Medical Officer at Chemomab, Inc., where he spearheaded the development of a novel monoclonal antibody for fibrotic and inflammatory diseases, culminating in a successful end-of-phase 2 meeting with the FDA. Previously he was Vice President, Clinical Development & Medical Affairs, Specialty Pharma at Boehringer Ingelheim where he was responsible for developing new drugs for oncology, immunology, pulmonary, and CNS diseases. In a prior role at Novartis, Dr. Frankel was Vice President & Head, Immunology and Dermatology Medical Unit, where he oversaw medical affairs and clinical development for Cosentyx®, Ilaris®, and Zortress®. Earlier in his career, Dr. Frankel led the medical affairs unit at Sandoz supporting the biosimilar, biopharmaceutical and generics businesses. Dr. Frankel also previously held clinical development leadership roles across geographies and therapeutic areas at Reata, Fibrogen, Abbott Labs, and Schering Plough.
Dr. Frankel received a B.A. from Vassar College, an M.D. from the University of California School of Medicine, Los Angeles and an MBA from the J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. He is board certified in internal medicine.
ABOUT TAPLUCAINIUM
Taplucainium (formerly NTX-1175) Dry Powder for Inhalation is a proprietary molecule in the novel class of CSCBs that allows for specific silencing of activated/inflamed nociceptors while having minimal local off-target effects or systemic exposure. Unlike other investigative cough therapies, such as P2X3 antagonists which target a specific Large Pore Channel (LPC), Taplucainium gains access to the nociceptor through any open LPC (P2X, TRPV, TRPA, etc.) whereupon it inhibits the sodium channels responsible for initiating the pathological cough response. This broad mechanism has shown significant antitussive effects in preclinical models of cough. Combined with good preliminary safety and efficacy data from earlier stage clinical work, this forms the basis for its use in cough indications beyond chronic cough.
ABOUT NOCION
Nocion Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel small molecule charged sodium channel blockers called “nocions” that selectively affect actively firing nociceptors for the treatment of serious conditions involving cough, itch, and pain. The company’s mission is to safely alleviate suffering for millions of patients with conditions arising from activated sensory neurons. Working with Harvard’s Office of Technology Development, Nocion was founded on an exclusive license to foundational intellectual property from Harvard University and Boston Children’s Hospital. Venture investors in Nocion include Arkin Bio Capital, Canaan Partners, F-Prime Capital, Lumira Ventures, Mass General Brigham Ventures, Mission BioCapital, Monograph Capital, Morningside, Osage University Partners, and an undisclosed strategic investor. For more information, visit: www.nociontx.com.
Contacts
COMPANY CONTACT
Stephanie Gillis
pr@nociontx.com