Prothena Announces Appointment of Gene G. Kinney as Chief Operating Officer

DUBLIN, Ireland, Sept. 06, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Prothena Corporation plc (NASDAQ:PRTA), a late-stage clinical biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel protein immunotherapies, today announced the promotion of Gene G. Kinney, PhD to the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO). In this newly created position, Dr. Kinney will be responsible for an integrated research, development and commercial organization, and several additional key organizational functions within the company. Dr. Kinney also retains his title and responsibilities as Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Kinney had held the position of Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Research and Development since Prothena was established in December 2012, leading the team responsible for advancing a robust clinical pipeline into late-stage clinical development as well as generating novel antibody targets in discovery.

"Gene's appointment to this expanded role underscores not only his exceptional scientific and business leadership, but also the exciting growth path we are setting for Prothena," commented Dale Schenk, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Prothena. "As one of our founding executive team members responsible for helping to establish the company and advance a pipeline of novel protein immunotherapies, Gene is uniquely qualified to guide our continued growth as a fully integrated research, development and commercial organization. I very much look forward to working with him on these critical efforts."

"Gene is a highly regarded, creative, and thoughtful leader who has played a key role in the success Prothena has experienced to date," noted Lars G. Ekman, MD, PhD, Chairman of the Prothena Board of Directors. "The Prothena Board is delighted to continue working with Gene in this new leadership role."

Dr. Kinney is an experienced biotechnology executive and has held positions across pharmaceutical, biotechnology and academic organizations. In positions of increasing scope, Dr. Kinney has held responsibility for overseeing portfolio strategy, leading R&D teams, and supporting commercial product launches. Before joining Prothena, Dr. Kinney was Senior Vice President of Pharmacological Sciences at Elan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. where he held several senior roles in research and development from 2009 through 2012. Between 2010 and 2012, Dr. Kinney also served as Head of Nonclinical Research for Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy R&D. From 2001 to 2009, he was Senior Director, Head of Central Pharmacology and acting lead for Bioanalytics & Pathology at Merck Research Laboratories. Dr. Kinney also held positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb and was an Assistant Professor at the Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

Dr. Kinney earned his B.A. from Bloomsburg University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Florida Atlantic University.

About Prothena

Prothena Corporation plc is a global, late-stage clinical biotechnology company seeking to fundamentally change the course of progressive diseases with its clinical pipeline of novel therapeutic antibodies. Fueled by its deep scientific understanding built over decades of research in protein misfolding and cell adhesion - the root causes of many serious or currently untreatable amyloid and inflammatory diseases - Prothena has advanced several drug candidates into clinical trials while pursuing discovery of additional novel therapies.  Our pipeline of antibody-based product candidates targets a number of potential indications including AL amyloidosis (NEOD001), Parkinson's disease and other related synucleinopathies (PRX002) and inflammatory diseases, including psoriasis (PRX003), and ATTR amyloidosis (PRX004). For more information, please visit the company's web site at www.prothena.com.

Investors: Tran Nguyen, CFO
650-837-8535, IR@prothena.com

Media: Ellen Rose
650-922-2405, ellen.rose@prothena.com