Dr. Nikolaos (Nik) Tezapsidis
Nikolaos (Nik) Tezapsidis, Ph.D. is the President & CEO, Chairman of the Board, and Founder of Neurotez, and has held these positions since the company was incorporated in 2005. He is an experienced biotechnology executive with over 20 years of international biomedical research experience, specializing in Alzheimer’s disease therapeutics, molecular biology, and drug development.
Nik founded Neurotez in 2004 and has maintained top notch research and development programs and established a strong patent portfolio (more than 20 patents globally are either pending or issued).
Nik is known for his pioneering work on leptin as a novel therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer’s disease. With over 50 scientific publications and 33 papers that have received a total of 1.7k indexed citations, he has significantly contributed to the understanding of leptin’s role in neurodegenerative diseases.
His company Neurotez is developing Memtin™, a leptin-based hormone replacement therapy aimed at treating leptin deficiency in Alzheimer’s disease patients. Currently, Neurotez has received a $50 million equity line offer from a prominent alternative investment group and is negotiating a bridge facility. Read Leptin: a novel therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer’s disease.
Nik has established strategic partnerships to advance Neurotez’s clinical development programs. He initiated a partnership for a new memory screening test for Alzheimer’s patients with Memtrax and another partnership with Cytox for a polygenic test that renders a score for genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease, both crucial for patient recruitment and drug efficacy monitoring in clinical trials.
In 2021, Nik chaired the 5th Meridian Clinical Trials conference hosted by Contimuum Globe as a virtual Conference where he presented “Developing Memtin”. Additionally, Dr. Wes Ashford, CMO of Neurotez, presented at the Clinical Trial Virtual Nexus West Coast 2021 conference with the title: “Memtrax, The Digital Memory Test for Clinical Trials” outlining the superior test Neurotez will be using in Memtin Clinical trials for Alzheimer’s. Read Repositioning leptin as a therapy for Alzheimer’s disease.
Prior to founding Neurotez, from 2001 to 2004, he led a research group at Columbia University and was Research Faculty at the NYU Langone Medical Center between 2000 and 2001. Nik also served as a scientific consultant to biotechnology investors, providing highly regarded expertise. He held faculty positions at NYU Langone Medical Center between 2000 and 2001 and at Mount Sinai School of Medicine (MSSM), New York between 1994 and 1998 and was Laboratory Director at the Institute for Basic Research, New York between 1998 and 2000.
Earlier in his career, he also conducted mentored research at Mount Sinai School of Medicine (MSSM between 1994 and 1997, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda between 1992 and 1994 and at the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of London between 1990 and 1992. His research focused on the molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease, particularly the role of leptin in reducing amyloid-β accumulation and tau phosphorylation.
Adipocyte-derived leptin appears to regulate a number of features defining Alzheimer’s disease (AD) at the molecular and physiological level. Leptin has been shown to reduce the amount of extracellular amyloid beta, both in cell culture and animal models, as well as to reduce tau phosphorylation. Read Leptin regulates tau phosphorylation and amyloid through AMPK in neuronal cells.
Nik has served in various advisory capacities throughout his career. In 2023, he was an Advisory Board Member for Ayuada Health, D3, Novick Cardiac Alliance, and Quality MD through AdvisoryCloud. He has been a member of the Educational and Scholarship committee at AHEPA Delphi Chapter 25 Manhattan since March 2018, where AHEPA is the largest, oldest and most active Greek-American organization, with some past American Presidents as members, who support Greek culture and philanthropy.
Nik earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Sussex in 1990. He earned his Master’s Degree of Science in Biochemistry from the same institution. Nik earned his Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Chemistry from Aristotle University, Greece. His education laid the foundation for his career in neurodegenerative disease research and drug development.
Throughout his career, Nik has received numerous honors and awards. Among his many honors, he received two awards from the Alzheimer’s Association, USA, and fellowships from the Wellcome Trust and the Science and Engineering Council, UK. His contributions to the field have been recognized through his extensive publication record and patent portfolio.
He has been invited to speak at numerous conferences and has appeared in media interviews. In February 2015, he was interviewed live on Clear Channel’s The Trader’s Network Show, hosted by Michael Yorba, discussing how leptin augmentation could effectively slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. He has presented at major industry conferences, including the BIO Investor Forum and the Unicorn Summit. Nik brings his extensive expertise in Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, and Drug Development to his role at Neurotez.
His work focuses on translating scientific discoveries into therapeutic solutions for Alzheimer’s disease patients. Dementia is known to affect about 50 million people globally and is the 6th leading cause of death in the USA, affecting more than 5 million Americans / 30 million worldwide. Cross-sectional studies have shown that 70% of Mild-Cognitively-Impaired (MCIs) have Leptin levels that are lower than the median level found in age-matched controls. Read Low Plasma Leptin in Cognitively Impaired ADNI Subjects: Gender Differences and Diagnostic and Therapeutic Potential.
Nik currently resides in Jersey City, New Jersey, where he continues to lead Neurotez’s mission to develop innovative treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. His mother and mother-in-law both died with Alzheimer’s, so it is very personal for him.
Nik is actively involved in the Greek-American community through his volunteer work with AHEPA.
Watch NIKOLAOS TEZAPSIDIS, PH.D. – International Conference Biotech Planet.
Visit his LinkedIn profile, ResearchGate profile, and Crunchbase profile. Follow him on X and Neurotez’s website.