Relmada Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: RLMD) appointed Michael Quirk as Senior Advisor for its sepranolone program. Quirk brings over 20 years of neuroscience drug discovery and development experience, including his previous role as Chief Scientific Officer at Sage Therapeutics.

Sepranolone is a GABAA receptor modulator being developed to treat Prader-Willi Syndrome and other central nervous system disorders. The drug selectively antagonizes allopregnanolone at GABA-A receptors without broadly disrupting GABAergic signaling.

"His distinguished career in CNS drug discovery and development, including his leadership of research and scientific strategy at Sage Therapeutics, gives him a unique and highly relevant perspective on neuroactive steroid biology," said Sergio Traversa, Chief Executive Officer of Relmada Therapeutics.

Quirk previously served as Chief Scientific Officer and interim Head of R&D at Sage Therapeutics, where he worked on treatments for postpartum depression and other brain health conditions. Before joining Sage in 2014, he was a Director within the Neuroscience Innovative Medicine group at AstraZeneca.

More than 335 patients have been treated with sepranolone in clinical trials, according to the company. Prader-Willi Syndrome is a rare genetic disorder with an estimated global prevalence of 350,000-400,000 patients.

Relmada is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapies for oncology and central nervous system conditions. Its lead candidates, NDV-01 and sepranolone, are in mid-stage clinical development.