This month, we’re excited to hear from the newest member of our leadership team at Prothena! In September, Chad Swanson was appointed as Prothena’s new Chief Development Officer. A neuropharmacologist with over 20 years industry experience, Chad joined Prothena as Senior Vice President and Head of Clinical Development in January 2023. In his new role, he will assume leadership of clinical development and medical functions.

Chad shares what initially drew him to neuroscience and how it sparked his interest in clinical development. He also reflects on what he is most proud of the team for achieving and what excites him most about Prothena’s future.

Want to learn more about our talented clinical development team? Check out our recent interview with Vice President, Global Clinical Development, Christie Nie here.

Q: What drew you to a career in clinical development?

A: I started my pharma career heading a neurochemistry laboratory focused on drug discovery and preclinical research. What drew me to neuroscience is a fascination with the brain, and how biochemistry provides the foundation for the complex neurocircuitry that makes us who we are. Over time, I became more interested in clinical research, as it provided an opportunity to be closer to the process of bringing medicines to patients. The scientific focus in clinical research required an interesting change in perspective, and I believe I have benefitted from my collective experience in both basic science and clinical research.

Q: How has the landscape changed over the course of your career?

A: As a neuropharmacologist by training, I have spent most of my clinical career in neurology, where the landscape has changed tremendously. For instance, there are now approved therapies shown to slow disease progression in Alzheimer’s disease, and biomarkers from both cerebrospinal fluid and plasma that can help diagnose the disease and may help to monitor for treatment effect some time in the future. These major advancements have been realized in recent years.

Q: What led you to Prothena? What is your favorite thing about working at Prothena?

A: The amazing people and impressive science have led me to Prothena. Prothena is a unique mix of biotech culture and innovation with a very strong pipeline, largely (but not exclusively!) focused on neuroscience.

Q: Tell us what the development team is responsible for at Prothena.

A: The development team is responsible for the design, execution and reporting of results for all the clinical trials we run at Prothena. Those trials span from Phase 1 through Phase 3, which is very unique for a biotech company.

Q: What are you most proud of the Prothena clinical development team for accomplishing?

A: The collective clinical development team is a classic example where the whole is so much greater than the sum of its parts. In other words, I am impressed every day by the amount of work that is accomplished by a relatively small group of dedicated people.

Q: What are you most excited about in your new role at Prothena as CDO?

A: I am most excited to work with the clinical group to bring our early pipeline to the clinic, while bringing our late-stage assets to the patients who need them.

Q: What are your passions outside of work?

A: I am a passionate cyclist who likes to build and wrench on bikes when not riding them.