(FLKS) Nobel Laureate, Rod MacKinnon, M.D., Joins Board of Directors

Flex Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLKS), a biotechnology company that is developing innovative and proprietary treatments for nocturnal leg cramps and spasms associated with severe neuromuscular conditions, today announced that Nobel Laureate and Scientific Co-Founder, Rod MacKinnon, M.D., has joined its Board of Directors. In addition, Scientific Co-Founder, Bruce Bean, Ph.D., will join the Board as an observer based upon his significant contributions and ongoing involvement with the Company’s development efforts.

Dr. MacKinnon was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2003 for his work determining the structure of ion channels and showing the mechanism by which they select for particular ions (Doyle, et al., The Structure of the Potassium Channel: Molecular Basis of K+ Conduction and Selectivity, April 1998, Science). His work serves as the foundation of Flex Pharma’s approach to preventing muscle cramping. Dr. MacKinnon is Investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Professor, Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology and Biophysics at the Rockefeller University, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Bean, Flex Pharma Scientific Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Company’s Scientific Advisory Board, is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Robert Winthrop Professor of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School, where he oversees a leading research laboratory studying the biophysics of sodium, calcium and potassium ion signaling in relation to pain processing.

“As a Scientific Co-Founder, I am thrilled to join the Board of Flex Pharma and look forward to further advancing the translation of our novel insights into treatments that can help the many individuals suffering from cramps and spasms associated with a broad range of neuromuscular disorders,” commented Rod MacKinnon, M.D., Nobel Laureate and Flex Pharma Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Company’s Scientific Advisory Board.

“The Board of Flex Pharma is privileged to work with world class physicians and scientists, such as Dr. MacKinnon and Dr. Bean, whose amazing scientific insights appear to have solved a long-standing medical mystery, unraveling the cause of muscle cramping, thereby providing a potential solution for athletes and patients who suffer from muscle cramps,” said Flex Pharma Board member and investor, John Sculley, former CEO of Pepsi and Apple.

About Flex Pharma

Flex Pharma, Inc. is a biotechnology company that is developing innovative and proprietary treatments for nocturnal leg cramps and spasms associated with severe neuromuscular conditions. In three randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled, cross-over studies, Flex Pharma’s proprietary treatment has shown a statistically significant reduction in the intensity of muscle cramps in healthy normal volunteers.

Flex Pharma was founded by National Academy of Science members Rod MacKinnon, M.D. (2003 Nobel Laureate), and Bruce Bean, Ph.D., recognized leaders in the fields of ion channels and neurobiology, along with Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Christoph Westphal, M.D., Ph.D.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We may, in some cases, use terms such as “predicts,” “believes,” “potential,” “proposed,” “continue,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “may,” “could,” “might,” “will,” “should” or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs, projections, outlook, analyses or current expectations concerning, among other things: the success and timing of ongoing and anticipated clinical studies for our current product candidates; our expectations regarding the effectiveness and safety of our product candidates; and the timing of and our expectations for the launch of our consumer product. Various factors may cause differences between our expectations and actual results as discussed in greater detail under the heading “Risk Factors” in the registration statement on Form S-1 (commission file number 333-201276), which was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on January 28, 2015. Any forward-looking statements that we make in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. We assume no obligation to update our forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.

 

Flex Pharma, Inc.
Elizabeth Woo, 617-874-1829
VP, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
irdept@flex-pharma.com