SHORTWAVE LIFE SCIENCES PLC
("Shortwave" or "the Company")
10th September 2025
Company restructure
Focused Direction established
Director Changes
Appointment of Chief Medical Adviser
Shortwave Life Sciences PLC (PSY), listed on the Aquis Stock Exchange Growth Market, the UK's leading healthcare company focused on developing innovative treatments for anorexia nervosa, is pleased to announce the completion of its announced business review and now outlines its plans to strengthen and grow the Company's core operating business with an integrated supportive digital asset treasury management strategy.
In July the Company announced that it would complete a comprehensive business review to strengthen its strategic framework for growth. The review has been completed, and the following actions will be taken.
· The implementation of a Digital Asset Treasury Management Strategy to support the operational funding requirements of the Company's core business.
· Initiation of a clinical human feasibility study on the impact of Psilocybin on Anorexia Nervosa. The objective of the project is to initiate recruitment for the Phase I clinical study in anorexia patients.
· Refocusing of the Company's structure to ensure focus on key growth areas and the establishment of oversight committees to supervise activities.
· Appointment of Dr. Nadya Lisovoder as Clinical Advisor to the Board with responsibility for driving forward the clinical trial agenda.
· Rivki Stern Youdkevich will step down from the Board and her role as Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect.
· Stephen Murphy to take up the role of Chief Operating Officer.
· Stephen Molloy to step into an Executive Director role to drive the digital asset treasury management strategy forward.
The Company's focus going forward will be on the advancement of game-changing life science R&D. In doing so, the Company will seek to utilise liquidity available through its implementation of a digital asset treasury management strategy ("DTM"). The Company intends to use its DTM to augment funding the core activities, driven by a united, qualified, and ambitious team.
The Company will simultaneously use DTM investment to generate revenues via our treasury model, to help fund non-traditional but highly conclusive human feasibility trials able to give sharper insight into the viability of alternative pharmaceutical treatments for specific indications offering real commercial opportunities.
Shareholder funds invested into Shortwave in July will support the implementation and execution of the treasury strategy and fund a human feasibility trial on psilocybin as a treatment for Anorexia at a leading academic institution.
Digital Asset Treasury Management Strategy
The Board has finalised its review of suppliers it wishes to work with and is in the process of appointing Archax, the UK FCA regulated exchange, broker and custodian for digital assets. The Company is currently working on the on boarding process and will start investing in crypto currency upon completion of this process. A specific risk committee has been set up internally to oversee the process and checks and balances to mitigate risk are being implemented. Stephen Molloy will head up the risk committee and lead the implementation of the Company's DTM and take an Executive Director role.
Anorexia Nervosa human feasibility study
The planned study has been approved by the Board and will be funded with current available funds in the Company, we anticipate that the programme set up will take a few months followed by key milestone deliverables over the next 6 to 12 months creating solid news flow for the Company to report on.
The trial will be managed by Dr Nadya Lisovoder who joins the Company in the capacity of Chief Medical Advisor to the Board with immediate effect.
A brief background summary of Dr Lisovoder:
Dr Lisovoder is an accomplished Doctor of Medicine with over twenty-one years of domestic and international experience in academic and clinical studies in the pharmaceutical, diagnostic, and medical devices industry. She is a regulatory expert and has been a clinical adviser to public biotech companies and a range of incubator and accelerator programmes, including FutuRx-a Johnson & Johnson Innovation and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company programme.
Dr Lisovoder has managed clinical trials across multiple therapy areas in complex multisite studies across Israel, Europe, and the US for large pharma companies, such as Schering-Plough, as well as innovative start-ups. Since 2012, she has been leading the Israeli government's biomedical research in seven hospitals in northern Israel, alongside universities, international pharma companies, global contract research organizations, and biotech companies.
Stephen Murphy will step up to the role of Chief Operating Officer for the Company and will manage finance and administration functions while maintaining his key role as a Board Director. He will also become Chairman of the Medical and Audit committees.
Rivki Stern has resigned her position as a Board director and Chief Executive Officer of the Company with immediate effect. The Board would like to thank Rivki who has been instrumental in getting the Company to where it is, leading up to the clinical human feasibility study on the impact of Psilocybin on Anorexia Nervosa .
The Board is made up by Rolf Gerritsen, Executive Chairman, Stephen Murphy, COO, Stephen Molloy, Executive Director and Ron Lipsky, independent Non-Executive Director.
All changes will be subject to shareholder approval at our forthcoming AGM, date to be announced as soon as possible.
Rolf Gerritsen comments:
"The outcome of the business review is a clear pathway towards developing our core business, supported by a strong, united and highly qualified team focused on delivering shareholder value through the integration of a digital asset treasury management strategy to fund the core business. I am extremely excited for the future of the Company and the upcoming news flow our activities will generate."
"I would personally like to thank Rivki for all her efforts to bringing the Company this far and wish her the very best of luck for the future."
"A very exciting road lies ahead for Shortwave and we as a Board look forward to supplying regular updates on our progress, and making our impact felt."
About Shortwave Life Sciences:
Shortwave Life Sciences is a developer of breakthrough therapies addressing unmet medical needs in mental health. The Company is committed to the advancement of innovative solutions through drug development, with a mission to pioneer breakthrough therapies that transform the landscape of mental health care. With a team of dedicated experts and a commitment to innovation, Shortwave Life Sciences is uniquely positioned to introduce and develop solutions for the complex challenges of mental health disorders worldwide.
The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Enquiries:
Company:
Rolf Gerritsen
Peterhouse Capital Limited:
Corporate Adviser:
+ 44 (0) 20 7469 0930
Corporate Broker:
+44 (0) 20 7220 9797
RNS may use your IP address to confirm compliance with the terms and conditions, to analyse how you engage with the information contained in this communication, and to share such analysis on an anonymised basis with others as part of our commercial services. For further information about how RNS and the London Stock Exchange use the personal data you provide us, please see our Privacy Policy.