Neumora Therapeutics Announces Appointment of Robert Lenz, M.D., Ph.D., as Executive Vice President, Head of Research and Development

WATERTOWN, Mass., Oct. 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Neumora Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: NMRA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company redefining neuroscience drug development, today announced the appointment of Robert Lenz, M.D., Ph.D., as executive vice president, head of research and development. Dr. Lenz is a member of Neumora’s Executive Team reporting to Henry Gosebruch, chief executive officer.

“I am delighted to welcome Rob to the Neumora team. His deep domain expertise in neuroscience combined with his vast experience executing successful clinical trials to develop first-in-class medicines will be invaluable as we advance our innovative pipeline including our recently initiated Phase 3 KOASTAL program for navacaprant in MDD,” said Henry Gosebruch, chief executive officer of Neumora. “With Rob’s R&D leadership and our strong team, capabilities and programs, I believe we are on the precipice of pioneering a new era of medicines in brain disorders and making a difference for patients.”

Dr. Lenz brings 20 years of experience developing novel drugs in areas of significant unmet medical need and vast clinical execution expertise to Neumora. In his most recent role as head of global development at Amgen, Dr. Lenz oversaw more than 130 interventional study starts with more than 53,000 patients enrolled in over 50 countries. Additionally, Dr. Lenz played a key role in the development and approval of multiple medicines including TEZSPIRE^®, the first anti-TSLP antibody for severe asthma; AIMOVIG^®, the first specific preventative therapy for migraine; and DUOPA^®, a combination of carbidopa (an aromatic amino acid decarboxylation inhibitor) and levodopa (an aromatic amino acid) for motor fluctuations in advanced Parkinson’s disease¹.

“I am excited to join Neumora’s strong team of R&D leaders, and to leverage my expertise to advance our industry-leading pipeline of novel neuropsychiatry and neurodegeneration programs,” said Dr. Robert Lenz, executive vice president, head of research and development, Neumora. “I have closely followed Neumora since its beginnings, and I’ve been impressed with the quality of programs the Company has assembled, each with a novel mechanism of action, and the data generated. I believe that we have several product candidates that have the potential to make a difference for patients living with brain disorders.”

About Robert Lenz, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president, head of research and development
Dr. Rob Lenz is executive vice president, head of research and development at Neumora. In this role, Dr. Lenz will lead the Company’s research, clinical and regulatory efforts, leveraging his 20 years of neuroscience drug development expertise.

Prior to Neumora, Dr. Lenz was senior vice president, head of global development, at Amgen. Dr. Lenz joined Amgen in 2012 as the global development lead for the company’s neuroscience programs. During his time with the company, he assumed positions of greater responsibility, ultimately serving as the therapeutic area head and vice president of inflammation, nephrology, and neuroscience development and the head for the Center for Design & Analysis, where he was instrumental in the broad adoption of innovative trial designs across Amgen’s portfolio.

Prior to joining Amgen, Dr. Lenz spent over eight years at Abbott within clinical development, ultimately serving as vice president and head of the neurology, psychiatry and anesthesiology therapeutic area.

Dr. Lenz received his M.D., Ph.D. with honors from the University of Maryland, with a research focus in
Neuropharmacology. He completed his residency in Neurology at UCLA.

About Neumora
Neumora Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company founded to confront the global brain disease crisis by taking a fundamentally different approach to the way treatments for brain diseases are developed. Neumora’s therapeutic pipeline currently consists of seven clinical and preclinical neuroscience programs that target novel mechanisms of action for a broad range of underserved neuropsychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. Neumora’s work is supported by an integrated suite of translational, clinical, and computational tools to generate insights that can enable precision medicine approaches. Neumora’s mission is to redefine neuroscience drug development by bringing forward the next generation of novel therapies that offer improved treatment outcomes and quality of life for patients suffering from brain diseases.

Neumora has operations in the Greater Boston Area and South San Francisco. For additional information, please visit www.neumoratx.com and follow us on Twitter: @NeumoraTx.

Investors:                                                        
Helen Rubinstein         
(315) 382-3979                                                
Helen.Rubinstein@neumoratx.com        

Media:
Katie Engleman
Katie@1abmedia.com

_________________________________
¹ The following are trademarks of the respective companies listed: TEZSPIRE^®, AIMOVIG^® – Amgen; DUOPA^® – AbbVie.