Longboard Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company
We are focused on developing novel, transformative medicines for neurological diseases, with an initial focus on rare diseases.
Our Story
Longboard Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel, transformative medicines for neurological diseases, with an initial focus on rare diseases.
Longboard was formed in January 2020 by Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to advance a portfolio of centrally-acting product candidates designed to be highly selective for specific G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). GPCRs have been proven to be the most successful class of druggable targets in the human genome and make up 50-60% of all druggable targets in the body. Longboard’s small molecule product candidates were discovered out of the same world-class GPCR research platform at Arena that represents a culmination of more than 20 years of drug development and optimization.
Longboard is evaluating LP352, an oral, centrally acting, next-generation 5-hydroxytryptamine 2C
Longboard is evaluating LP352, an oral, centrally acting, next-generation 5-hydroxytryptamine 2c (5-HT2c) receptor superagonist, with no detected activity at the 5-HT2B and 5-HT2A receptor subtypes, in development for the potential treatment of seizures associated with developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs). DEEs refer to a group of severe heterogeneous epilepsies characterized by drug resistant seizures and significant developmental delay.
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(5-HT2C) receptor superagonist, with negligible observed impact on 5-HT2B and 5-HT2A receptor subtypes. LP352 is in development for the potential treatment of seizures associated with developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs). DEEs refer to a group of severe heterogeneous epilepsies that are characterized by drug resistant seizures and significant developmental delay.
Longboard is also evaluating LP659, a centrally acting, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor subtypes 1 and 5 modulator, in development for the potential treatment of multiple neurological diseases. Longboard holds rights to other product candidates, including LP143 and nelotanserin, through a License Agreement with Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Management
Kevin Lind
Mr. Lind has over 20 years of experience in the life sciences industry. Prior to joining Longboard Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Lind served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Arena Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Pfizer) from June 2016 to February 2020. Prior to Arena, Mr. Lind was a Principal focused on healthcare at TPG Special Situations Partners, a global investment firm, from January 2009 to June 2016. Mr. Lind was a member of the TPG Pharma Partners effort at TPG-Axon, a global investment firm, from 2006 to 2008. He served in various capacities as a healthcare investment banker at Lehman Brothers, Inc., a former global financial services firm, from 1998 to 2002 and 2004 to 2006. Mr. Lind currently serves on the board of Ceek Women’s Health, a medical device company focused on creating innovative products for more comfortable gynecological exams and procedures. Mr. Lind received a B.S. from Stanford University in Biological Sciences and an M.B.A. from UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Randall Kaye, M.D.
Dr. Randall Kaye has over 30 years of experience in the medical field and has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer since March 2022. Prior to joining Longboard, Dr. Kaye was Chief Medical Officer of Neurana Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company focused on the treatment of neuromuscular conditions. Prior to Neurana, he served as Chief Medical Officer of Click Therapeutics, Inc., a leader in digital healthcare innovation, where he was involved in the development of software as a prescription medical treatment for a number of chronic debilitating conditions. Prior to Click, he served as Chief Scientific Officer of SSI Strategy Holdings LLC, where he oversaw clinical development, medical affairs and pharmacovigiliance. In conjunction with his role at SSI Strategy, he served as Chief Medical Officer of Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. Earlier in his career, Dr. Kaye held the positions of Chief Medical Officer of Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which was acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., and Vice President, Medical Affairs of Scios Inc. and InterMune, Inc. He also held clinical development and medical affairs positions at Pfizer Inc. Dr. Kaye earned an M.D., M.P.H. and B.S. at George Washington University, completed his pediatric training at UMASS Medical Center and finished his academic training as a postdoctoral Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School.
Brandi Roberts
Ms. Roberts has more than 25 years of public accounting and finance experience, including 22 years at publicly traded pharmaceutical, medical technology, and life science companies. Previously, Ms. Roberts served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (NYSE: LCTX) from January 2019 to January 2021. Prior to joining Lineage, she served as Chief Financial Officer of REVA Medical, Inc. Ms. Roberts previously served as Chief Financial Officer of Mast Therapeutics, Inc. from January 2013 to April 2017, and as its Senior Vice President, Finance, from March 2011 to January 2013. Previously, she held senior positions at Alphatec Spine, Inc., Artes Medical, Inc., Stratagene Corporation, and Pfizer, Inc. Ms. Roberts currently serves as Chair of the Southern California Chapter of the Association of Bioscience Financial Officers and serves on the boards of TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Temple Therapeutics BV. Ms. Roberts is a certified public accountant with the State of California and received her B.S. degree in business administration from the University of Arizona and her M.B.A. from the University of San Diego.
Steven Spector
Mr. Spector has 30 years of legal and business experience, with over 20 years in the life sciences industry. Most recently, he served as part-time Head of Business Development or General Counsel for several companies, including Longboard, Dynavax Technologies (Nasdaq: DVAX) and Galecto, Inc. (Nasdaq: GLTO). Prior to this, Mr. Spector served as General Counsel of Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (acquired by Pfizer) for nearly twenty years, from October 2001 to March 2020. He is a former President and long-time board of director of the Association of Corporate Counsel, San Diego, and an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Diego School of Law. Prior to Arena, Mr. Spector was a Partner with the international law firm of Morgan Lewis, where he worked from 1991 to October 2001. Mr. Spector holds a B.A. and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Spector and his family are active members in the San Diego community, including supporting the ALS Association, Sanford Burnham Prebys, and other non-profit organizations focused on finding new approaches and treatments for rare neurological conditions.
Chad Orevillo
Mr. Orevillo has over 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical clinical development and operations. Prior to joining Longboard, Mr. Orevillo served as the Vice President and Head of Clinical Operations of Arena Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Pfizer) from April 2017 to March 2020. Prior to Arena, Mr. Orevillo served as the Vice President, Head of Clinical Development and Medical Communications and the Head of Clinical Operations at Pearl Therapeutics, Inc., a venture-funded biotech subsequently acquired and operated as a subsidiary of AstraZeneca since 2013. Mr. Orevillo joined Pearl in 2008 and was responsible for building and leading the clinical development and operations teams which were responsible for the Bevespi and Breztri Aerosphere development programs. Previously, Mr. Orevillo worked in various clinical development and operations roles at Novartis from 2003 to 2008, Pharmacia/Pfizer from 2000 to 2003, Merck from 1995 to 2000 and Pharmaco-LSR from 1993 to 1995. Mr. Orevillo has an M.P.H. from Tulane University and B.S. from William Paterson University. He is a US Marine Corps veteran of Operation Desert Storm.
Gus Cardenas
Mr. Cardenas has over 25 years of quality assurance experience in the biopharmaceutical industries, including organizations such as The Bayer Corporation and Eli Lilly & Company, as well as several San Diego based biotech companies where he routinely functioned as the Head of Quality. He has supported programs for large and small molecules, medical devices and combination products from early pre-clinical and clinical phases through commercialization in the United States and the European Union. Creating and leading small to medium sized quality units, he has implemented effective quality and compliance systems from inception to maturity at numerous organizations while building out the respective supporting Quality Assurance and Quality Control departments. Mr. Cardenas obtained his B.Sc. degree in Biology with an emphasis in recombinant DNA Technology from San Diego State University.
Anne Danks, Ph.D.
Dr. Danks has 25 years of experience in nonclinical discovery and development of small molecule therapeutics for CNS disorders, successfully shepherding compounds into first in human and proof of concept clinical trials. She has built and headed small and large preclinical teams, directing all aspects of Pharmacology, Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK), Toxicology and Translational Medicine, responsible for development strategy and execution. Prior to joining Longboard, Dr. Danks was Vice President of Preclinical Development at Autobahn Therapeutics after having held the same position at Dart NeuroScience (DNS) for nearly 10 years. Prior to DNS, she held positions of increasing responsibility at TorreyPines Therapeutics, Merck Research Labs, SIBIA Neurosciences, Nereus Pharmaceuticals and Cypros Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Danks completed postdoctoral training at the University of California, Irvine, after receiving her Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in Psychobiology from the State University of New York at Binghamton, and B.A. in Psychology from Marquette University.
Dewey McLin, Ph.D.
Dr. McLin brings over 15 years of Medical Affairs experience establishing and scaling Medical Affairs functions and teams through all stages of clinical development from the research stage through commercialization. Most recently Dr. McLin served as Vice President, Medical Affairs at Sesen Bio. Prior to joining Sesen he served as Sr. Director of Medical Affairs and Product Development Team lead for Medical Affairs at Greenwich Biosciences, where he played an important role in the complex, successful commercialization of the first cannabis-based drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat rare forms of refractory epilepsy. During his career, he has supported the launch of six products at start-up and mid-size pharmaceutical companies, where he has identified innovative, data-driven opportunities to engage patients, prescribers, advocacy groups, and payers. Dr. McLin received his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and his Doctorate in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Irvine.
Jodi Parsons, Ph.D.
Dr. Parsons has over 25 years of experience in global pharmaceutical development of drugs and biologics. Prior to joining Longboard, Dr. Parsons was Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs at Xencor where she provided regulatory tactical and strategic oversight of the company’s dual checkpoint inhibitor immuno-oncology program targeting solid tumors. At Dart NeuroScience, Dr. Parsons built and led the Regulatory Affairs and Document Management teams responsible for lifecycle management and regulatory strategy of CNS therapeutics. Prior to this, Dr. Parsons managed the lifecycle of Somaxon Pharmaceuticals’ early stage 505(b)(2) products directed toward the treatment of impulse and movement disorders and addiction, and implemented the registration strategy for Silenor® for the treatment of insomnia. At Elan Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Parsons served as Regulatory Project Lead supporting global registration of Tysabri® for treatment of multiple sclerosis and Crohn’s disease, and development of natalizumab for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis. Prior to this, Dr. Parsons assumed various roles of increasing responsibility within Development Chemistry and later Regulatory Affairs at Ionis Pharmaceuticals, where she contributed to the development of antisense oligonucleotide therapeutics targeting cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis (Vitravene®) and various autoimmune diseases. Dr. Parsons holds a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Miami, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Emory University.
Marco Peters, Ph.D.
Dr. Peters has over 20 years of experience in translational research, target discovery, and small molecule discovery for CNS indications. Dr. Peters built and managed small and large research teams, and his work has contributed to the discovery, progression, and clinical development of small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of multiple neurological indications including stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Pain, and Schizophrenia. Prior to joining Longboard, he served as the Senior Director of Research and Development at BioIntervene, Inc., where he led preclinical research and developed biomarker strategies for non-addictive, non-opioid, treatments for pain. Prior to BioIntervene, Dr. Peters held positions of increasing responsibility at Dart Neuroscience, where he built the departments of Neurobiology and Behavioral Pharmacology, and managed target ID, in vivo pharmacology, and lead optimization. His work at Dart contributed to the advancement of multiple compounds into clinical development, and a broad intellectual property portfolio. Dr. Peters holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of London, UK, and an M.Sc. in Biochemistry with distinction from the Freie Universität Berlin, Germany. He conducted post-doctoral work with Tetsuyuki Maruyama at Merck Sharp & Dohme (UK).
Nuggehally “Srini” Srinivas, Ph.D.
Dr. Srinivas has over 30 years of experience in drug discovery and development with a focus in the areas of clinical pharmacology, PKPD, ADME, biopharmaceutics, bioanalysis, and drug delivery. Most recently, he was Vice President at Allucent, where he provided clinical pharmacology strategy for small and large molecule/biosimilars development as well as 505(b)(2) clinical/regulatory strategy. Prior to Allucent, Dr. Srinivas worked in various companies, in positions of increasing responsibility, such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, Dr. Reddy’s laboratories, Eli Lilly’s JV, Zydus Cadila, and Jubilant. Dr. Srinivas has been involved across various stages of clinical development from Phase 1 to Phase 3 programs, and has supported several Investigational New Drug (IND) applications, New Drug Applications (NDAs) and Biologics License Applications (BLAs) filings. Dr. Srinivas holds a Doctorate in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. Dr. Srinivas has authored over 375 scientific publications and serves on the editorial board of several journals.
Julie Baker M.B.A.
Ms. Baker brings over 30 years of pharmaceutical commercial experience including building and leading marketing teams, product and lifecycle management, brand strategy and payer marketing. Most recently, Ms. Baker served as VP, Marketing for the Epilepsy Business Unit of Jazz Pharmaceuticals, having been VP, Marketing for Greenwich Biosciences at the time of the acquisition (acquired by Nasdaq: JAZZ for $7.2 Billion). During her tenure, she led the most successful commercial product launch in the rare, refractory epilepsy space to date, and served as global development team commercial lead. Ms. Baker spent over 15 years at Pfizer, supporting the launch of multiple blockbuster medicines and establishing payer marketing. Over the course of her career, she held marketing roles in biotech start-ups including Otonomy and MannKind, as well as leading marketing for a business unit of animal health leader, Zoetis. Ms. Baker received her B.B.A. in Marketing at The George Washington University and an M.B.A. from New York University.
President and CEO
Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Executive Vice President, Head of Business Development and General Counsel
Executive Vice President and Head of Operations
Vice President, Commercial Strategy
Vice President and Head of Quality Assurance
Vice President and Head of Nonclinical Development
Vice President and Head of Medical Affairs
Vice President and Head of Regulatory Affairs
Vice President and Head of Translational Science
Vice President, Head of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics
Board of Directors
Paul Sekhri
Paul Sekhri has served as a member of our board of directors since December 2020, and as chairman of our board of directors since February 2021. Mr. Sekhri brings nearly 30 years of healthcare experience, most recently serving as President and CEO of vTv Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VTVT), a clinical stage biotechnology company, since July 2022. Previously, he served as the President and CEO of multiple biopharmaceutical companies including eGenesis, Inc., from January 2019 to April 2022, Lycera Corporation, from 2015 through 2018, and Cerimon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from founding the company in 2004 to 2009. Previously, Mr. Sekhri held senior business development and strategy roles at Sanofi, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., ARIAD Pharmaceuticals and Novartis. Mr. Sekhri spent five years as Operating Partner and Head of the Biotechnology Operating Group at TPG Biotech, the life sciences venture capital arm of TPG Capital. Mr. Sekhri completed graduate work in Neuroscience at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he also received his B.S. in Zoology. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of eGenesis, Veeva Systems Inc., Ipsen S.A., and Spring Discovery, and Chairman of the Board of Compugen Ltd., and Pharming Group N.V. As an accomplished pianist, he serves on several non-profit Boards including as Chairman of the Board of The Knights and the Metropolitan Opera and of the Young Concert Artists (YCA). Mr. Sekhri also served as a Member of the Board of Trustees of Carnegie Hall from 2010-2012, and recently founded the Life Science Council of Carnegie Hall where he is also an active member of their Patrons Council.
Vincent Aurentz
Vincent Aurentz has served as a member of our board of directors since February 2020. Mr. Aurentz served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer of Arena from August 2016 through its acquisition by Pfizer Inc. in March 2022. During his tenure at Arena, Arena advanced clinical stage programs to successful data readouts, closed several licensing transactions, and scaled as an organization. Mr. Aurentz has over 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Previously, he was the Chief Business Officer of Epirus Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. a biopharmaceutical company, from November 2015 to July 2016. Prior to that, Mr. Aurentz served as President and was a member of the Board of Directors of HemoShear Therapeutics, LLC from July 2013 to November 2015, where he oversaw the scientific platform, research and development activities, commercial and business development efforts including collaborations with global organizations such as Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Janssen research and development and Children’s National Health System. Prior to joining HemoShear, Mr. Aurentz was Executive Vice President and member of the Executive Management Board at Merck KGaA (Merck Serono S.A.) where he directed research and development programs, portfolio strategy and headed all deal activity and venture investments. Mr. Aurentz is a former Executive Vice President at Quintiles and a Co-founder and Managing Director of a venture capital and advisory business. He was a partner with CSC Healthcare, the life sciences strategic management consulting division of Computer Sciences Corporation, after starting his career and working for 8 years at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). Mr. Aurentz received a B.S. in Mathematics from Villanova University.
Corinne Le Goff, Pharm.D.
Corinne Le Goff, Pharm.D. has served on our board of directors since March 2021. Dr. Le Goff currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer and Director of Imunon, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMNN) (formerly Celsion Corporation), a fully integrated, clinical stage biotechnology company. Prior to her appointment at Imunon, Dr. Le Goff most recently served as Chief Commercial Officer of Moderna, Inc., a publicly traded clinical stage biotech and pharmaceutical company, from January 2021 to January 2022. Dr. Le Goff previously served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of U.S. Business Organization at Amgen, Inc., a public biotechnology company, from March 2019 to January 2021. During her tenure at Amgen, she also served as Senior Vice President of Global Product Strategy from June 2018 to March 2019, and Senior Vice President of the Europe Region from June 2015 to May 2018. Dr. Le Goff worked in the policy community and advocated for innovative, high-quality and affordable healthcare. Dr. Le Goff held various positions within the Roche Group, a publicly traded Swiss multinational healthcare company, including President of Roche’s French affiliate from May 2012 to May 2015. Dr. Le Goff has served on the board of directors of the Pacific Council on International Policy since October 2019. Dr. Le Goff also served on the board of directors of CFAO, a trading company, from October 2014 until October 2020, where she served as a member of the Nomination and Compensation Committee, the Sustainable Development Committee and the Audit Committee. Dr. Le Goff received a Pharm. D. from the University Paris V and an M.B.A. in Marketing from La Sorbonne University, France.
Casey Lynch
Casey Lynch has served on our board of directors since February 2021. Ms. Lynch has served as Chief Executive Officer of Lighthouse Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage private biopharmaceutical company which she co-founded, since September 2022. Ms. Lynch is also the founder of Sonoma Bioventures and has served as its Managing Partner since February 2022. She previously co-founded and served as President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of Cortexyme, Inc., a public biotechnology company, from July 2014 through January 2022, and as Chairman of Cortexyme’s Board of Directors from November 2018 through January 2022. She was a member of the board of directors of the California Life Science Association, a trade association representing California’s life science industry, from 2019 to 2021. Prior to co-founding Cortexyme, Ms. Lynch co-founded various companies and organizations in the biotechnology industry including Aspira Biosystems, Inc. and NeuroInsights, LLC. She served as Aspira’s co-founder, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman from 1999 to 2004 and she co-founded NeuroInsights and served as its Managing Director from 2004 to 2015. Ms. Lynch also co-founded Neurotechnology Industry Organization, a non-profit trade association, and served as a board member from March 2005 to September 2018. She currently serves on the Business Review Board of the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation. Ms. Lynch holds a B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an M.S. in Neuroscience from the University of California, San Francisco.
Phillip Schneider
Phillip Schneider has served as a member of our board of directors since December 2020. Most recently, Mr. Schneider held various positions with IDEC Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company, from 1987 to 2003, including, serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 1997 to 2003. Prior to that, Mr. Schneider held various management positions at Syntex Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a pharmaceutical company, from 1985 to 1987, and KPMG LLP, an audit and tax advisory firm, from 1982 to 1984, where he attained his CPA license. Mr. Schneider currently serves as a member of the board of directors of ARS Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a pharmaceutical company, since June 2019, and YMCA of San Diego County since 2002. Mr. Schneider previously served as a member of the board of directors at Pfenex Inc. from 2014 until its acquisition by Ligand Pharmaceuticals in 2020, Arena from 2007 to 2018, Auspex Pharmaceuticals from 2014 until its acquisition by Teva Pharmaceuticals in 2015, and Gen-Probe, Inc. from 2002 until its acquisition by Hologic Inc. in 2012. Mr. Schneider holds a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of California, Davis and an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California.
Jane Tiller, MBChB, FRCPsych
Jane Tiller, MBChB, FRCPsych (MD), has served on our board since November 2021. Dr. Tiller most recently served as Chief Medical Officer of Neumora Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, from September 2020 to October 2022, and since has remained as an advisor to the company. She served as Chief Medical Officer of BlackThorn Therapeutics, from February 2019 through its acquisition by Neumora. Prior to joining BlackThorn, Dr. Tiller was Head of Medical European Markets, Australia and Canada at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), where she oversaw all medical functions for her territories. During her tenure at BMS, Dr. Tiller also served as Vice President of Global Medical for neuroscience, virology and immunoscience, and as Vice President, Full Development Gamma Secretase for BMS’ Alzheimer’s program. Previously, she held positions of increasing responsibility at Cephalon, including as Vice President, Clinical Research, CNS/Pain, where she was responsible for all clinical development activities of programs for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety and sleep disorders. Prior to joining industry, Dr. Tiller was Clinical Director at the Maudsley Hospital, London, a Consultant Psychiatrist (attending) and honorary Senior Lecturer. Dr. Tiller received her medical degree from the Glasgow University Medical School, an M.B.A. from Drexel University, and an MPhil from the University of Pennsylvania.
Paul Sekhri
Chairman of the Board
Kevin Lind
President and CEO
Vincent Aurentz
Board Member
Corinne Le Goff, Pharm.D.
Board Member
Casey Lynch
Board Member
Phillip Schneider
Board Member
Jane Tiller, MBChB, FRCPsych
Board Member