Boston, Mass., December 16, 2015 – Decibel Therapeutics, a hearing company focused on discovering and developing new medicines to protect, repair and restore hearing, today announced that pharmaceutical and healthcare industry veteran Jeff Jonas, M.D., has been appointed to the company’s board of directors. Dr. Jonas is the CEO of SAGE Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SAGE).
“We are thrilled to welcome Jeff to our board of directors,” said Kevin Starr, chairman and interim chief executive officer, Decibel Therapeutics. “Jeff is a proven industry leader who brings both a deep understanding of science and strong business acumen. His track record for moving early stage programs into clinical development will be invaluable as we advance our lead programs and build a pipeline of medicines to protect, repair and restore hearing.”
Dr. Jonas has more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Since 2013, he has served as the chief executive officer of SAGE Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to developing novel medicines to transform the lives of patients with life-altering central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Before joining SAGE, Dr. Jonas served as president of the Regenerative Medicine Division and previously as senior vice president of research and development, pharmaceuticals at Shire plc. Prior to Shire, he served in senior-level positions at ISIS Pharmaceuticals, Forest Laboratories, Inc. and Upjohn Laboratories. Dr. Jonas founded AVAX Technologies and SCEPTOR Industries and in the past has served on the board of directors for Cara Therapeutics, Inc. and AVAX Technologies. He has published more than 70 scientific papers and chapters, authored more than 100 books, scientific articles and abstracts, and has received numerous awards. Dr. Jonas received his B.A. from Amherst College and M.D. from Harvard Medical School. He completed a residency in psychiatry at Harvard then served as chief resident in psychopharmacology at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School.
“Hearing disorders impact a large number of patients, but there is a surprising lack of treatment options and dearth of new research in this area,” said Dr. Jonas. “I’m excited to join the Decibel board and play a role in the work they are doing to discover and develop new medicines with the potential to greatly impact the quality of life of patients suffering from hearing loss.”
About Decibel Therapeutics
Decibel Therapeutics is a hearing company focused on discovering and developing new medicines to protect, repair and restore hearing. By combining recent innovations in hearing science with leading diagnostic tools, biological insights, modeling and therapeutic delivery techniques, Decibel is pioneering a comprehensive approach to define the underlying biological causes of hearing loss and develop a pipeline of breakthrough drugs targeted to specific indications and patients. Founded by the world’s preeminent experts in hearing loss, Decibel Therapeutics was launched in 2015 by Third Rock Ventures and is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. For more information, please visit www.decibeltx.com.
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