COGNOSCI - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Chairman of the Department of Neurosciences
• Multiple Sclerosis Mechanism Consultant

Dr. Bruce D. Trapp is Chairman of the Department of Neurosciences at the Lerner Research Institute,Cleveland Clinic Foundation and Professor of Neurosciences at Case Western Reserve University andThe Ohio State University. Dr. Trapp received his Ph.D. in anatomy from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago, IL. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Laboratory of Neuropathology and Neuroanatomical Sciences and the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD. He was also Assistant Professor, and subsequently Associate Professor, of Neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles and 25 book chapters. Dr. Trapp holds numerous multiyear grants from various funding institutions. His research involves the pathobiology of neurological disability in multiple sclerosis patients and the cellular and molecular biology of myelination in the central and peripheral nervous systems. He is the recipient of the Jordi Folch-Pi Award from the American Society of Neurochemistry, The Weil Award from the American Association of Neuropathologists, a Harry Weaver Neuroscience Scholar Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS), the Jacob Javits Award in Neuroscience from the NationalInstituteof Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the John Dystel Prize for MS Research from the AmericanAcademy of Neurology and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Management Team
• Vice President of Research and Development

Dr. Li has 15+ years' experience in drug discovery for major neurological disorders, such as multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, Parkinson's disease, and peripheral neuropathy. He received his Ph.D. degree in Neurobiology from Peking University, China, in 2001. He had his postdoctoral training at NIEHS of NIH and then at Duke University. He joined Cognosci, Inc. as a Senior Scientist in 2006. Starting from 2007, Dr. Li has been leading several Neuroscience programs as Principal Scientist in Cognosci. He is the Principal Investigator of many government grants and from private foundation and has published many peer-reviewed scientific papers with several patents. Dr. Li's expertise includes drug discovery, neuroprotective and neuroregenerative strategy for major neurological disorders.

Job Titles:

• Chief Executive Officer
• Director
• Founder
• Member of the Management Team

Dr. Vitek is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cognosci and is also an Associate Professor at Duke University Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology. He previously held positions of increasing responsibility at Glaxo-Wellcome, Burroughs-Wellcome, the Picower Institute, Lederle Laboratories, and Hoffmann-LaRoche. Dr. Vitek received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Dartmouth Medical School, specializes in Alzheimer's disease research and the role of innate immunity in neurodegeneration with over 125 published research articles and 17 patents and applications.

Job Titles:

• Neurologist

Dr. O'Connor is a neurologist who leads the MS Clinic at St. Michael's Hospital as well as the MS Program in the Division of Neurology at the University of Toronto. He is also Neurology Division Chief at St. Michael's Hospital. His chief research interest is in the discovery and development of new treatments for MS, including pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical approaches. He is a world authority on the design and implementation of clinical trials in MS and currently serves as lead-investigator or on the steering committee of several new agents for MS treatment including natalizumab and teriflunomide. Dr. O'Connor has a vast experience with the clinical aspects of MS and directs one of the largest and most clinically active MS centers in the world. Along with providing leadership to the clinic service and research staff, he runs a very busy MS practice and evoked potential diagnostic facility. He received his MD and MSc degree from the University of Toronto and was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Neurology in 1985.