Solace Pharmaceuticals Appoints Professor David Julius, Renowned Pain Physiologist, to Scientific Advisory Board

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts -

Solace Pharmaceuticals, a private biotechnology company discovering and developing innovative treatments for pain, announced that David Julius, PhD, professor and chair of the department of physiology at the University of California, San Francisco, and a leading pioneer in the pathophysiology of pain, has joined Solace’s scientific advisory board.

“We admire Professor Julius’ pioneering research in the biology of pain and welcome his participation on Solace’s scientific advisory board,” said Dr. Eliot Forster, Solace’s Chief Executive Officer. “We believe that Professor Julius’ scientific interests are complementary to those of Solace, especially with respect to his recent work in glial cells, and we share his dedication to transforming biological insights into opportunities for drug discovery and development. We believe that Professor Julius’ expertise will enrich our world-class scientific advisory board and we are pleased to have him join in our mission to discover and develop innovative treatments for pain.”

Professor Julius comments, “Solace has staked out some very innovative approaches for targeting and tackling chronic pain. I look forward to working with an extraordinarily talented and diverse group of advisors to bring new ideas to the treatment of pain based on knowledge of its underlying mechanisms.”

Professor Julius has made significant discoveries in the molecular basis of somatosensation - the process whereby we experience touch and temperature - and how somatosensation is altered in response to tissue or nerve injury. Professor Julius discovered that capsaicin, the main pungent ingredient in chili peppers, activates an excitatory ion channel, called TRPV1, on sensory nerve endings, and that TRPV1 functions as a molecular integrator of physical and chemical signals that regulate sensory neuron excitability under both normal and pathophysiological conditions. Following a similar paradigm, Professor Julius’ research showed that a menthol receptor from primary sensory neurons is activated by cold thermal stimuli, and that the structure of this menthol/cold receptor, TRPM8, resembles that of TRPV1.

Professor Julius has received considerable recognition during his career. He has twice received awards from The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience, and in 2007, he was awarded the Edward M. Scolnick Prize in Neuroscience from The McGovern Institute for Brain Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professor Julius has published widely in Nature, Cell, Science, and other prestigious publications. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

About Solace Pharmaceuticals

Solace Pharmaceuticals discovers and develops innovative treatments for pain. Solace’s research and development programs are focused on exploiting novel biological understanding of disease targets that play a role in the pathogenesis of pain and that have disease-modifying potential in two key areas: modulating the activity of glial cells and intervening in the tetrohydrobiopterin (BH4) pathway. SLC022, the company’s lead drug candidate, is in phase II clinical development in patients with post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). Solace’s research and development are supported by a strong and expanding intellectual property portfolio. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.solacepharma.com.

Contact: Marie Lossky, PhD Director, Business Development and Intellectual Property Solace Pharmaceuticals Phone: +1-617-401-4006 Email: mlossky@solacepharma.com

Source: Solace Pharmaceuticals

Marie Lossky, PhD, Director, Business Development and Intellectual Property of Solace Pharmaceuticals, +1-617-401-4006, mlossky at solacepharma.com