Niels Plath, Ph.D., is the Chief Scientific Officer of Muna Therapeutics, a global, early-stage biotech company focused on disease modifying therapies for neurodegenerative disorders. He serves as an advisor for the FWO Belgium, the Innovation Foundation Denmark, the University of Copenhagen Denmark and several biotech companies and academic institutions in Europe and the US.
Prior to joining Muna, Niels was the acting Global Head of Research and Vice President, Neuroscience at Lundbeck for several years. He led multi-disciplinary teams of scientists based in Copenhagen and San Diego working on discovery and early development stage projects for patients with major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, pain, epilepsy, Alzheimer´s disease, Parkinson´s disease, frontotemporal dementia, multiple system atrophy, and rare genetic disorders. During his time at Lundbeck, Niels worked closely with business development colleagues in the acquisition of Abide Therapeutics which led to the licensing a MagL inhibitor currently in Phase 1 for PTSD, and of Alder BioPharmaceuticals which led to the acquisition of Eptinezumab, now a marketed drug for migraine prevention. Before leading global research and neuroscience activities, he led the psychiatry portfolio across development stages and collaborated with colleagues in clincial development and commercial to ensure end to end program alignment. During this time, he has been a board member and treasurer of the Danish Society for Neuroscience.
Before joining the pharmaceutical industry, Niels pursued an academic career at the Free University Berlin, Germany where he completed postdoctoral studies on the molecular and genetic mechanisms of neuronal plasticity and learning and memory. He received funding from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP). He has authored more than 40 scientific papers, has given numerous talks at national and international conferences, served as a reviewer for grant agencies and leading journals and was a board member and treasurer of the Danish Society for Neuroscience.
