1. In Vivo
  2. >>Leadership

After Aducanumab: Finding New Treatments For Neurodegenerative Diseases

An Interview With Rising Leader Virginie Buggia-Prevot

 
• By Ben Comer

As a freshman interested in neurobiology at Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble, Virginie Buggia-Prevot knocked on the lab door of an esteemed neurosurgeon and professor conducting research on deep brain stimulation. She was hooked; following a PhD in neurobiology and a post doc at the University of Chicago, Buggia-Prevot joined MD Anderson’s Neurodegeneration Consortium, managing strategic alliances and working on drug discovery. In November, she joined Valo as director of neurology discovery, an opportunity to bring new research in neurodegeneration to bear on patients’ lives.

Neurons and nervous system. 3d render of nerve cells
• Source: Shutterstock

Aducanumab, Biogen, Inc.'s on-again off-again experimental candidate for Alzheimer’s disease, took a drubbing during a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee on 6 November 2020, a stark reminder of the difficulty in finding a safe and efficacious treatment for the sixth leading cause of death in the US. Should aducanumab receive approval, despite efficacy concerns, it would still be a win for the field of neurogenerative disease research, given the dearth of available alternatives. But it would not be enough, said Virginie Buggia-Prevot, director of neurology discovery, at Valo Health. “We need a more robust response, and it will probably come from therapeutics targeting other aspects associated with the disease,” such as tau, microglia cells, or inflammation in the brain. (Also see "Biogen’s Aducanumab Falls Hard At Panel Review, Leaving US FDA In A Tight Spot" - Pink Sheet, 8 November, 2020.)

We are living in a very exciting moment for neurodegeneration, believes Buggia-Prevot. “I think we will find therapies in the...

Welcome to In Vivo

Create an account to read this article

Already a subscriber?

More from Leadership

Podcast: Inside MoonLake’s Fast-Track Vision And $500m Deal

 
• By Jo Shorthouse

MoonLake Immunotherapeutics is racing ahead in the biotech space with its innovative nanobody SLK and a transformative $500m non-dilutive financing deal. In this episode, its CEO and CFO discuss the company’s rapid clinical progress, financial strategy and ambitions to reshape inflammatory disease.

Rising leaders 2025: Aneesh Karatt-Vellatt On Maxion Therapeutics’ Antibody Revolution

 
• By Jo Shorthouse

Aneesh Karatt-Vellatt is leading the charge to redefine how ion channels and G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are targeted with antibody therapies, one of the most notoriously challenging classes of drug targets.

Podcast: Scancell’s Cancer Vaccine Progress With NHS Partnership

 
• By Jo Shorthouse

In the latest podcast interview, Phil L'Huillier, CEO of Scancell, discussed the company's work in cancer vaccine development, and its selection as the first British biotech to be a part of the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad.

Podcast: “They Are Able To Keep Their Body”: Medipost On Its Stem Cell Therapy Vision

 
• By Anabel Costa-Ferreira

In Vivo spoke with Edward Ahn, CEO of Medipost, a Korean company that has developed stem cell therapies from cord blood, on how they are working across regulatory markets to provide a novel treatment for degenerative diseases.

More from In Vivo

Rising leaders 2025: Aneesh Karatt-Vellatt On Maxion Therapeutics’ Antibody Revolution

 
• By Jo Shorthouse

Aneesh Karatt-Vellatt is leading the charge to redefine how ion channels and G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are targeted with antibody therapies, one of the most notoriously challenging classes of drug targets.

Podcast: Scancell’s Cancer Vaccine Progress With NHS Partnership

 
• By Jo Shorthouse

In the latest podcast interview, Phil L'Huillier, CEO of Scancell, discussed the company's work in cancer vaccine development, and its selection as the first British biotech to be a part of the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad.

Geopolitical Volatility Not Dimming A Healthy Mid-Term Outlook For Life Sciences Deals

 
• By Ashley Yeo

New report by global law firm Taylor Wessing and Bayes Business School forecasts a steadily increasing volume of major life sciences M&A in the coming five years, but highlights concerns over cybersecurity and unrealistic valuations. Taylor Wessing partner Andrew Edge spoke to In Vivo.