SAN DIEGO, April 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Biosplice Therapeutics, Inc. (“Biosplice”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering therapeutics based on alternative pre-mRNA splicing for major diseases, announced today the addition of three independent directors to its board. New directors comprise Troy Cox, former CEO of Foundation Medicine, Susannah Gray, former EVP and CFO of Royalty Pharma Management, and Karen McGinnis, former VP and CAO of Illumina.
“We are honored to have this caliber of experience and leadership join our new board at Biosplice,” said Osman Kibar, PhD, Founder and Executive Chairman of Biosplice. “Ms. Gray, Ms. McGinnis, and Mr. Cox bring invaluable insight to our company as we continue the buildout of our alternative splicing platform and navigate the final stages of clinical development for our lead osteoarthritis drug candidate, lorecivivint, and continue to develop our promising oncology and neurology pipelines.”
Troy Cox led Foundation Medicine (NASDAQ: FMI), as President and Chief Executive Officer, through the acquisition by Roche for $5.3 billion in 2018. Prior to Foundation Medicine, he served as Senior Vice President and Officer at Genentech, where he led US BioOncology for a period of unprecedented growth to over $12 billion while accountable to help steer the Roche Genentech R&D portfolio. Before Genentech, Mr. Cox held executive and senior roles, including President UCB BioPharmaceuticals, Senior Vice President Sanofi-Aventis and diverse foundational roles at Schering-Plough. He also currently serves as a director of Zymeworks, Inc. (NYSE: ZYME), Sophia Genetics, LetsGetChecked, CM Life Sciences II (NASDAQ: CMIIU) and MassBio.
Susannah Gray brings more than 30 years of biopharmaceutical experience, specifically in corporate finance and capital markets roles, most recently serving as Executive Vice President, Finance & Strategy of Royalty Pharma Management, LLC. Ms. Gray also spent 14 years as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Royalty Pharma before retiring in 2019. Prior to joining Royalty Pharma, she had a 14-year career in banking, working in various capacities within high yield and structured finance departments of Chase Securities, Merrill Lynch and CIBC World Markets. Ms. Gray also serves as a director of Maravai LifeSciences (NASDAQ: MRVI) and 4D Molecular Therapeutics (NASDAQ: FDMT).
Karen McGinnis has over 20 years of experience in executive operational and finance roles at international public companies. She most recently served as Vice President & Chief Accounting Officer of Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN), a leader in sequencing- and array-based solutions for genetic and genomic analysis. Earlier in her career, Ms. McGinnis served as Director, President and Chief Executive Officer, and previously Chief Financial Officer, of Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (OTC: MCZAF), a global provider of innovative interactive entertainment products. Prior to joining Mad Catz, Ms. McGinnis served as Chief Accounting Officer of Cymer, Inc., a leading supplier to the semiconductor industry and, previously, Chief Accounting Officer for Insight Enterprises, Inc. Ms. McGinnis also currently serves as a director of Alphatec Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATEC) and AbSci, Inc.
Learn more about Biosplice’s Board of Directors at https://www.biosplice.com/board-of-directors
About Biosplice
Biosplice is developing first-in-class, small-molecule therapeutics based on pioneering science of alternative pre-mRNA splicing. Stemming from foundational discoveries in Wnt pathway modulation, Biosplice has elucidated novel biology linking CLK/DYRK kinases to the therapeutic regulation of alternative splicing. Alternative splicing is an essential biological mechanism that regulates the diversification of proteins in a cell, which, in turn, determines cell type and function. Biosplice’s target class governs the selection of tissue-specific mRNA splice sites, making them attractive, druggable targets within the cellular “command and control” center.
Biosplice’s drugs in clinical development include lorecivivint for osteoarthritis (in Phase 3), cirtuvivint for numerous cancers, and a broad pipeline that ranges from Alzheimer’s disease to other degenerative conditions. Learn more at https://www.biosplice.com
Corporate Contact:
Erich Horsley
Biosplice Therapeutics, Inc.
erich.horsley@biosplice.com
858-365-0200