Prothena Announces Appointment of Biotechnology Industry Leader Helen S. Kim to its Board of Directors

    Prothena Announces Appointment of Biotechnology Industry Leader Helen S. Kim to its Board of Directors 

Prothena Corporation plc (NASDAQ:PRTA), a late-stage clinical biotechnology company with a robust pipeline of investigational therapeutics built on protein dysregulation expertise, announced today the appointment of Helen S. Kim, MBA, to its Board of Directors. Ms. Kim has over 27 years of experience in leadership roles in biotechnology, including her previous role as Executive Vice President of Business Development at Kite Pharma, Inc. where she led all business and corporate development initiatives, leading to a successful acquisition by Gilead in 2017. With the appointment of Ms. Kim, Prothena will expand its Board to 10 directors.

“Ms. Kim’s background and expertise in leadership roles across biotechnology companies for nearly three decades will be a welcome addition to the Board and will help guide Prothena’s robust portfolio as the company moves towards commercialization,” commented Lars G. Ekman, M.D., Ph.D., Prothena’s Chairman. “We welcome Ms. Kim to our Board and look forward to her many contributions.”

“After watching the strong execution of Prothena over the past years, I’m excited to join the Board of Directors at this pivotal stage for the company. Their expertise in pioneering drugs targeting protein dysregulation is clearly reflected in the robust and promising pipeline of novel programs in areas of high unmet need,” said Ms. Kim. “I look forward to working with the other board members and the leadership team to continue Prothena’s progress in advancing novel medicines for neurodegenerative and rare peripheral amyloid diseases, which affect millions of people and their families worldwide.”

Currently, Ms. Kim serves as a Senior Managing Director at Vida Ventures, LLC (a venture capital firm), a position which she has held since April 2019. Prior to her current role, Ms. Kim was a Partner at the Column Group (a venture capital firm) from 2018-2019 and the Executive Vice President, Business Development at Kite Pharma, Inc. from 2014-2018. Previously, Ms. Kim held positions as Chief Business Officer (2009-2012) and then Strategic Advisor (2012-2014) of NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to NGM, she was the Chief Executive Officer and President of Kosan Biosciences (a pharmaceutical company) where she restructured and repositioned the company prior to a successful transaction with Bristol Myers Squibb in 2008. Ms. Kim’s additional industry experience includes executive and leadership positions at Affymax, Inc., Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Protein Design Labs, Inc. (a technology company), and Chiron Corporation.

Ms. Kim currently serves on the Board of Directors for A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., ReCode Therapeutics, Inc., IconOVir Bio, Inc., Aktis Oncology, PACT Pharma, Protego Therapeutics, and InduPro Labs. Ms. Kim received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

About ProthenaProthena Corporation plc is a late-stage clinical biotechnology company with expertise in protein dysregulation and a pipeline of investigational therapeutics with the potential to change the course of devastating neurodegenerative and rare peripheral amyloid diseases. Fueled by its deep scientific expertise built over decades of research, Prothena is advancing a pipeline of therapeutic candidates for a number of indications and novel targets for which its ability to integrate scientific insights around neurological dysfunction and the biology of misfolded proteins can be leveraged. Prothena’s pipeline includes both wholly-owned and partnered programs being developed for the potential treatment of diseases including AL amyloidosis, ATTR amyloidosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and a number of other neurodegenerative diseases. For more information, please visit the Company’s website at www.prothena.com and follow the Company on Twitter @ProthenaCorp.

Media and Investor Contact:

MediaMichael Bachner, Senior Director, Corporate Communications609-664-7308, [e-mail]

InvestorsJennifer Zibuda, Director, Investor Relations & Communications650-837-8535, [e-mail]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f753c7c6-4b3d-4059-ad0a-8515de183e27