CEO Today Europe Awards

27 www.ceotodaymagazine.com CEO Today Europe Awards 2018 france FRANCK MOUTHON CEO of THERANEXUS SA FIRM PROFILE Created in 2013, Theranexus is a biopharmaceutical company that develops drug candidates to be used in the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders. The company’s creation stems from the fact that current CNS drugs for neurological disorders - including narcolepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, neuropathic pain, psychiatric disorders and epilepsy - have limited efficacy, making the development of new treatments one of the industry’s most important challenges. Former researchers at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), founders Franck Mouthon and Mathieu Charvériat were able to identify the significant role that non-neuronal cells (or “glial cells”) play in the way in which neurons respond to CNS drugs despite being long neglected by the pharmaceutical industry. Their research led them to discover that they could improve neuron response and thereby increase the efficacy of CNS drugs by modulating the structure of glial cell networks. This protected technology, which can be applied in the treatment of numerous conditions, involves acting simultaneously on glial cells and neurons. Theranexus is currently developing this unique, breakthrough approach across four pathologies. Within four years, Theranexus has already made significant strides in pre-clinical, clinical and technological developments, including for its first drug candidate, THN102, the demonstration of its superior efficacy and good tolerance in human subjects. Neurological disorders: a major social challenge and a market in crucial need of therapeutic innovation Nearly one billion people worldwide suffer from neurological disorders and this number has continued to rise sharply in line with the growing proportion of elderly people in the population. Neurological disorders are one of the leading causes of disability and account for over one-third of health expenses overall (estimated at more than €2,000 billion1,2). With its innovative platform for generating drug candidates, Theranexus is perfectly positioned to offer solutions to these major medical and industrial needs. Thanks to its proprietary technology and methods of treatment, Theranexus occupies a unique position to target underservedmarkets. ABOUT FRANCK MOUTHON Franck Mouthon holds a degree in life sciences from the École Normale Supérieure (ENS-Ulm) and a master’s degree in biology from the ENS and Paris VI, VII and XI interuniversity program. He is an alumni of the medical virology program at the Institut Pasteur and participated in the HEC Challenge + entrepreneur program. He has 15 years of experience in team and project management. He joined the Life Sciences Department of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in 1995 where he worked on neurodegenerative diseases at the Institute of Emerging Diseases and Innovative Therapies (IMETI). He has published various papers and filed several patents related to the modulation of drugs targeting neurons. In March 2013, he co-founded Theranexus with Mathieu Charvériat, having obtained the exclusive worldwide rights to the technology they identified at the CEA. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer. He is also an administrator of France Biotech.