CAMBRIDGE, England,
December 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Michael
Moore Transitions to
Deputy Chairman
Mission Therapeutics, a drug discovery and development company
focused on selectively targeting deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs) to
treat cancer, neurodegenerative and other diseases, announces that
Dr Colin Goddard has been appointed
as non-executive Chairman, effective January
1st 2017. Dr Colin
Goddard joined the board of Mission Therapeutics as a
non-executive Director in July 2015.
Michael Moore, Mission's Founder
Chairman, will continue on the board and transition to the role of
Deputy Chairman.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161202/445133LOGO )
Dr Michael Moore,
Mission Therapeutics retiring Chairman,
said: "On behalf of the Board, it gives me great pleasure to
welcome Colin in his new role as the Company progresses to the next
phase of its evolution. I look forward to continuing to work with
him and the Board of Directors as, together with an outstanding
management team we continue to shape the Company's strategy.
Colin's timely accession extents the business reach of Mission
commensurate with the significant advances in R&D."
Dr Colin Goddard, newly appointed Chairman
of Mission Therapeutics, added: "I
would like to thank Michael for his guidance and support since
joining the Board and I look forward to working with the Executive
team and my Board colleagues as we build on Mission's achievements
to date. I firmly believe that the Company's innovative DUB
platform can yield transformational, first in class new therapies
that address a broad range of unmet clinical needs."
Dr Anker Lundemose, CEO of Mission
Therapeutics, said: "We would like to thank Michael for his
robust support and broad expertise during the formative period of
the Company and for his role in nurturing the establishment of a
powerful drug discovery platform and emerging product pipeline.
Colin has a long track record of leadership and success in the
industry including as Executive Chairman and CEO of both public and
private US biopharma companies and we look forward to leveraging
his experience as we exploit our pipeline and transition into a
clinical stage company."
Prior to joining Mission Therapeutics, Dr Goddard was Chief
Executive Officer of OSI Pharmaceuticals. He joined the company as
a research scientist in 1989 and led the transformation from a
technology platform services company into a profitable fully
integrated biopharmaceutical organisation, becoming CEO in 1998. He
was pivotal in the registration and launch of OSI's targeted
therapeutic product, Tarceva (erlotinib) and also directed the
Company's financing, corporate development and acquisition
strategies, completing several major acquisitions and divestitures
and raising over $1.5bn in capital.
OSI was acquired by Astellas Pharma Inc. in June 2010 for $4bn.
Dr Goddard obtained his PhD in cancer pharmacology from the
University of Aston in Birmingham,
UK and worked at the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, before joining OSI. He currently
serves as Chairman & CEO of US based Biotech company, BlinkBio,
Inc and as a Director on the boards of Endocyte Inc (NASDAQ: ECYT).
He was formerly a Director at Human Genome Sciences Inc.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
About Mission Therapeutics
Mission Therapeutics, an early-stage drug development company
targeting the ubiquitin pathway for the treatment of cancer,
neurodegenerative, and other diseases of unmet need. The Company
has built a leading platform for the discovery and development of
first-in-class, small-molecule drugs that selectively target
deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs) - an emerging drug class that is
attracting significant commercial interest in the area of protein
homeostasis. Mission has strong links with key academic and
research centers, including Cancer Research UK Laboratories and the
University of Cambridge's Jackson
Laboratories at the Gurdon Institute, and a leadership team that
has broad international, commercial and scientific experience. In
February 2016, the Company completed
an $86m financing that was led by
Imperial Innovations and Woodford Patient Capital Trust and
included participation from existing investors Sofinnova Partners,
Roche Venture Fund, Pfizer Venture Investments and SR One. Mission
Therapeutics was founded in 2011 and is based at the Babraham
Research Campus, Cambridge,
UK.
For more information:
CONTACT:
Mission Therapeutics Ltd
Anker Lundemose MD PhD
Chief Executive Officer
Tel: +44-1223-497199
Hume Brophy
Conor Griffin, Alexia Faure, Alex
Protsenko
Email: Missiontherapeutics@humebrophy.com
Tel: +44-20-7862-6381
Westwicke Partners (U.S.)
Chris Brinzey
Chris.brinzey@westwicke.com
+1-339-970-2843
SOURCE Mission Therapeutics