RNS Reach - non-regulatory announcement

30 July 2024

Graft Polymer (UK) plc (LON: GPL)

Appointment of Senior Scientific Adviser

Professor David Nutt - renowned leader in neuroscience and public health

Graft Polymer (UK) plc ("Graft Polymer" or the "Company"), an innovative drug delivery systems development company, is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor David Nutt as the Company's Senior Scientific Adviser, effective immediately.

This appointment follows the announcement, on 18 July 2024, of Graft Polymer's collaboration agreement with Awakn Life Sciences Corp (CSE:AWKN OTCQB:AWKNF) ("Awakn").

Professor Nutt, a preeminent authority in neuropsychopharmacology, is a Professor at Imperial College London and Chief Research Officer at Awakn. He is renowned for his leadership role in development of UK drug policy research, having chaired the UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, and led numerous influential studies on the effects of drugs on the brain and public health.  Professor Nutt has made significant contributions to the UK's understanding and treatment of mental health disorders and addiction. His work has been instrumental in shaping evidence-based policies and treatment protocols, earning him recognition as one of the most influential voices in UK neuroscience and public health.

In consideration for becoming the Company's Senior Scientific Adviser Professor Nutt has been granted 10,000,000 nominal cost options (with an exercise price of £0.001) over the Company's ordinary shares under the Company's Long Term Incentive Plan (the "LTIP"). These options will have a term of three years from the date of grant and will vest in three equal parts: one third immediately, one third on the first anniversary, and the final third on the second anniversary of Professor Nutt's appointment. Following this grant, the Company has a total of 10,000,000 outstanding options, equivalent to 0.4% of the Company's current issued share capital.

Commenting on the appointment, Anthony Tennyson, CEO of Graft Polymer, said:

"We are honoured to welcome Professor Nutt as our Senior Scientific Adviser.  His unparalleled expertise and leadership in UK research will be a tremendous asset to our team and his work aligns perfectly with our mission to innovate in drug delivery solutions."

Professor Nutt commented:

"I am excited to be working with Graft Polymer as its Senior Scientific Adviser and to help to contribute to their innovative approaches to drug delivery. These approaches present a unique opportunity to advance the treatment of complex conditions, particularly in the US, the UK, and key international markets."

Enquiries:

Graft Polymer (UK) Plc
Anthony Tennyson, CEO and Executive Director. Email: anthonytennyson@graftpolymer.co.uk

Yifat Steuer, CFO and Executive Director, Email: yifat@graftpolymer.co.uk

Allenby Capital (Broker)

Nick Naylor / Liz Kirchner (Corporate Finance) | Guy McDougall (Sales) 

+44 (0) 20 3328 5656 

About Professor David Nutt

Prof. David Nutt is currently the Edmond J. Safra Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology and Director of the Neuropsychopharmacology Unit in the Division of Brain Sciences at Imperial College, London and also Chief Research Officer at Awakn Life Sciences Corp.

After 11+ entry to Bristol Grammar School David was awarded an Open Scholarship to Downing College Cambridge and then completed his medical training at Guy's Hospital London, continuing in neurology to MRCP. After completing his psychiatric training in Oxford, he continued there as a lecturer and then later as a Wellcome Senior Fellow in psychiatry. He then spent two years as Chief of the Section of Clinical Science in the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in NIH, Bethesda, USA. On returning to England in 1988 he set up the Psychopharmacology Unit in Bristol University, an interdisciplinary research grouping spanning the departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology before moving to Imperial College London in December 2008 where he leads a similar group with a particular focus on brain imaging especially PET.

David was previously President of the European Brain Council, the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP), the British Neuroscience Association (BNA) and the British Association of Psychopharmacology (BAP). He is a Fellow of the Royal Colleges of Physicians and of Psychiatrists and of the Academy of Medical Sciences. He is also the UK Director of the European Certificate and Masters in Affective Disorders Courses and a member of the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy. He has edited the Journal of Psychopharmacology for over two decades and acts as the psychiatry drugs advisor to the British National Formulary. He has published over 500 original research papers, a similar number of reviews and books chapters, eight government reports on drugs and 33 books.

Previously he has been a member and then Chair of the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD - 1998-2009), a member of the HEFCE/NHS Senior Lecturer Selection Panel and of the MRC Neuroscience Board. Other previous national contributions include serving as the medical expert on the Independent Inquiry into the Misuse of Drugs Act (2000 Runciman report), and membership of the Committee on Safety of Medicines, the Committee on NHS drugs and the Ministry of Defence Science Advisory Board. He was the clinical scientific lead on the 2004/5 UK Government Foresight initiative "Brain science, addiction and drugs" that provided a 25-year vision for this area of science and public policy.

David broadcasts widely to the general public both on radio and television including BBC science and public affairs programmes on therapeutic as well as illicit drugs, their harms and their classification. He also lectures widely to the public as well as to the scientific and medical communities; for instance has presented three times at the Cheltenham Science Festival and several times for Café Scientifiques. In 2010 The Times Eureka science magazine included him in the 100 most important figures in British Science.

About Graft Polymer (UK) Plc

Graft Polymer plc ("Graft Polymer") (LON: GPL) is an innovative biopolymer drug delivery systems development company dedicated to enabling biopharmaceutical companies to enhance the effectiveness of their therapeutics. Our proprietary platform, a bioabsorbable self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS), represents a cutting-edge solution in drug delivery technology. By integrating active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) into our novel, patented delivery systems, we enable clients to improve the pharmacokinetics, bioavailability, and stability of their therapeutics.

For more information, please visit www.graftpolymer.co.uk

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