TÜBINGEN, Germany and BOSTON, June 24, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CureVac AG, a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company pioneering the field of mRNA-based drugs, announced that Timothy Wright, M.D. and Craig Tooman were elected as independent directors to CureVac’s Supervisory Board at the Company’s Annual General Meeting. These new members will support CureVac’s mission to use mRNA to revolutionize human health with their vast drug development and operational expertise. Their appointments increase CureVac’s Supervisory Board from six to eight directors.
"We are pleased to welcome Tim Wright and Craig Tooman as new Supervisory Board members," said Ingmar Hoerr, CureVac Co-Founder & Supervisory Board Chairman. "Tim’s extensive development experience and Craig’s executive and operational involvement within the biotechnology industry mark important additions to our team. As CureVac’s corporate operations and mRNA-based pipeline grows internationally, we’re excited to add two members with valuable U.S. experience to help us reach our development goals.”
About the New Board Members
Timothy M. Wright, M.D. is currently a General Partner at TIME BioVentures. Tim has deep knowledge in drug development from early to late stage and has a track record in bringing numerous drugs to market. He served as Chief Research and Development Officer for Regulus Therapeutics from late 2016 - early 2019. Prior to Regulus, he served as Executive Vice President, Translational Science at California Institute for Biomedical Research. From 2004-2014, Wright held positions of increasing importance at Novartis and Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, culminating as Global Head of Pharma Development. From 2001-2004, he served in roles of increasing importance at Pfizer, ultimately as Senior Director, Clinical Sciences / Clinical Exploratory Head – Inflammation. From 1983-1991, Wright was a postdoctoral fellow, Instructor and Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. From 1991-2001, Wright was Assistant Professor, Associate Professor with tenure, Chief of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, and Director of the UPMC Arthritis Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. He earned an M.D. from the Johns Hopkins University-School of Medicine.
Craig A. Tooman has served as President, CEO and Board Director at Aratana Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: PETX) since January 2019, following his 6-year tenure as CFO. Craig has decades of executive level experience and a strong résumé of operational expertise, including in pet therapeutics and the broader pharmaceutical industry. He played a vital role in successfully completing Aratana's initial public offering and has raised more than $5B in the course of his career. Craig has built strong business relationships and a successful track record in executive leadership roles for several pharmaceutical companies, including as CEO of Avanzar Medical, Inc. and CFO for Enzon Pharmaceuticals and Ikaria Inc. He's also held key executive roles at ILEX Oncology, Inc. and Pharmacia Corporation. Craig earned an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in Economics from Kalamazoo College.
About CureVac AG
CureVac is a leading company in the field of messenger RNA (mRNA) technology with more than 19 years’ expertise in handling and optimizing this versatile molecule for medical purposes. The principle of CureVac's proprietary technology is the use of mRNA as a data carrier to instruct the human body to produce its own proteins capable of fighting a wide range of diseases. The company applies its technologies for the development of cancer therapies, antibody therapies, the treatment of rare diseases, and prophylactic vaccines. To date, CureVac has received approximately $420 million (€400 million) in equity investments, including significant investments from SAP founder Dietmar Hopp’s dievini and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. CureVac has also entered into collaborations with multinational corporations and organizations, including Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly & Co, CRISPR Therapeutics, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and others.
For more information, please visit www.curevac.com or follow us on Twitter at @CureVacAG.
Media Contact
Jenn Gordon, Media Relations
Global Health PR, New York, United States
T: +1 202-587-2580
jgordon@globalhealthpr.com
Investor Contact
Matthew Beck, Vice President Investor Relations
CureVac AG, Boston, MA, United States
T: +1 917-415-1750
matthew.beck@curevac.com