30 years of experience in CNS drug development – the fastest track from Molecule to clinic.
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Manfred WindischCEO and President of NeuroScios |
After graduation from the University of Graz in 1985 he spent several years heading a neurobiology group at the University with research in the field of brain metabolism and animal model development after which he was involved for many years in University and industrial research programs in Europe, North America and Asia. He established a global network of research collaborations and stimulated intensive scientific information exchange. Besides his involvement in research on neurotrophic and neuroprotective factors, he spearheaded several international clinical studies in Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia and ischemic stroke from 1989 onwards. When he founded his first CRO, JSW-Lifesciences 1999, the research activities are concentrated on the role of alpha and beta-synuclein in pathogenesis of PD and AD, to explore new therapeutic possibilities. He created and standardized improved transgenic and induced rodent models of neurodegenerative diseases. He gained enormous experience in use of such models and was involved every year in about 60-80 pharmacological studies in the field of neuro-degeneration, allowing him defining experimental standards to increase the predictive value in preclinical drug testing. There is practically no class of compounds which was not investigated in these systems.
In parallel he was always involved in clinical research in AD, MCI, PD, ALS and cerebrovascular diseases, organizing and conducting so far about 25 international trials from phase 1 to phase 3. The clinical trial experience includes also complex study design using state of the art imaging techniques and CSF biomarkers.
Under his leadership JSW-Lifesciences became a world recognized CNS CRO.
As a member of several scientific advisory boards he is helping to coordinate preclinical and clinical research activities in that field on an international level. He is a highly active member of the scientific community and has authored about 100 original research articles in peer-reviewed journals and is organizing conferences in the field of drug development for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and since 2007 he is one of the executive organizers of the AD-PD conference, a leading scientific meeting in the field of neurodegenerative diseases.
In August 2013 Dr Windisch founded “NeuroScios – Neuroscience Optimized Solutions” and took over the position as a CEO there. Company is specialized in consulting for drug development programs in neurological indications and it provides premier research services for clinical trials in dementia (AD, MCI and others). He decided to make his experience more available to drug development companies, because without a direct affiliation to a particular CRO there is the guarantee for unbiased consultation. The only target is to help the client reaching success in the fastest and most efficient way, to make sure that improved treatments for all that devastating disorders will become available to a growing group of patients already in the near future.