RNS
Reach - non-regulatory announcement
30
July 2024
Graft Polymer (UK) plc (LON:
GPL)
Appointment of Senior
Scientific Adviser
Professor David Nutt -
renowned leader in neuroscience and public health
Graft Polymer (UK) plc ("Graft
Polymer" or the "Company"), an innovative drug delivery systems
development company, is pleased to announce the appointment of
Professor David Nutt as the Company's Senior Scientific Adviser,
effective immediately.
This appointment follows the
announcement, on 18 July 2024, of Graft Polymer's collaboration
agreement with Awakn Life Sciences Corp (CSE:AWKN OTCQB:AWKNF)
("Awakn").
Professor Nutt, a preeminent
authority in neuropsychopharmacology, is a Professor at Imperial
College London and Chief Research Officer at Awakn. He is renowned
for his leadership role in development of UK drug policy research,
having chaired the UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, and
led numerous influential studies on the effects of drugs on the
brain and public health. Professor Nutt has made significant
contributions to the UK's understanding and treatment of mental
health disorders and addiction. His work has been instrumental in
shaping evidence-based policies and treatment protocols, earning
him recognition as one of the most influential voices in UK
neuroscience and public health.
In consideration for becoming the
Company's Senior Scientific Adviser Professor Nutt has been granted
10,000,000 nominal cost options (with an exercise price of £0.001)
over the Company's ordinary shares under the Company's Long Term
Incentive Plan (the "LTIP"). These options will have a term of
three years from the date of grant and will vest in three equal
parts: one third immediately, one third on the first anniversary,
and the final third on the second anniversary of Professor Nutt's
appointment. Following this grant, the Company has a total of
10,000,000 outstanding options, equivalent to 0.4% of the Company's
current issued share capital.
Commenting on the appointment, Anthony Tennyson, CEO of Graft
Polymer, said:
"We are honoured to welcome Professor Nutt as our
Senior Scientific Adviser. His unparalleled expertise and
leadership in UK research will be a tremendous asset to our team
and his work aligns perfectly with our mission to innovate in drug
delivery solutions."
Professor Nutt commented:
"I am excited
to be working with Graft Polymer as its Senior Scientific Adviser
and to help to contribute to their innovative approaches to drug
delivery. These approaches present a unique opportunity to advance
the treatment of complex conditions, particularly in the US, the
UK, and key international markets."
Enquiries:
Graft Polymer (UK) Plc
Anthony Tennyson, CEO and Executive Director. Email:
anthonytennyson@graftpolymer.co.uk
Yifat Steuer, CFO and Executive Director,
Email: yifat@graftpolymer.co.uk
Allenby Capital (Broker)
Nick Naylor
/ Liz Kirchner (Corporate Finance) | Guy McDougall
(Sales)
+44 (0) 20 3328
5656
About Professor David Nutt
Prof. David Nutt is
currently the Edmond J. Safra Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology
and Director of the Neuropsychopharmacology Unit in the Division of
Brain Sciences at Imperial College, London and also
Chief Research Officer at Awakn Life Sciences Corp.
After 11+ entry to Bristol Grammar
School David was awarded an Open Scholarship to Downing College
Cambridge and then completed his medical training at Guy's Hospital
London, continuing in neurology to MRCP. After completing his
psychiatric training in Oxford, he continued there as a lecturer
and then later as a Wellcome Senior Fellow in psychiatry. He then
spent two years as Chief of the Section of Clinical Science in the
National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in NIH,
Bethesda, USA. On returning to England in 1988 he set up the
Psychopharmacology Unit in Bristol University, an interdisciplinary
research grouping spanning the departments of Psychiatry and
Pharmacology before moving to Imperial College London in December
2008 where he leads a similar group with a particular focus on
brain imaging especially PET.
David was previously President of
the European Brain Council, the European College of
Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP), the British Neuroscience
Association (BNA) and the British Association of Psychopharmacology
(BAP). He is a Fellow of the Royal Colleges of Physicians and of
Psychiatrists and of the Academy of Medical Sciences. He is also
the UK Director of the European Certificate and Masters in
Affective Disorders Courses and a member of the International
Centre for Science in Drug Policy. He has edited the Journal of
Psychopharmacology for over two decades and acts as the psychiatry
drugs advisor to the British National Formulary. He has published
over 500 original research papers, a similar number of reviews and
books chapters, eight government reports on drugs and 33
books.
Previously he has been a member and
then Chair of the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD -
1998-2009), a member of the HEFCE/NHS Senior Lecturer Selection
Panel and of the MRC Neuroscience Board. Other previous national
contributions include serving as the medical expert on the
Independent Inquiry into the Misuse of Drugs Act (2000 Runciman
report), and membership of the Committee on Safety of Medicines,
the Committee on NHS drugs and the Ministry of Defence Science
Advisory Board. He was the clinical scientific lead on the 2004/5
UK Government Foresight initiative "Brain science, addiction and
drugs" that provided a 25-year vision for this area of science and
public policy.
David broadcasts widely to the
general public both on radio and television including BBC science
and public affairs programmes on therapeutic as well as illicit
drugs, their harms and their classification. He also lectures
widely to the public as well as to the scientific and medical
communities; for instance has presented three times at the
Cheltenham Science Festival and several times for Café
Scientifiques. In 2010 The Times Eureka science magazine included
him in the 100 most important figures in British
Science.
About Graft Polymer (UK) Plc
Graft Polymer plc ("Graft Polymer") (LON: GPL) is an innovative
biopolymer drug delivery systems development company dedicated to
enabling biopharmaceutical companies to enhance the effectiveness
of their therapeutics. Our proprietary platform, a bioabsorbable
self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS), represents a
cutting-edge solution in drug delivery technology. By integrating
active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) into our novel, patented
delivery systems, we enable clients to improve the
pharmacokinetics, bioavailability, and stability of their
therapeutics.
For more information, please
visit www.graftpolymer.co.uk
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