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Regulus Therapeutics Appoints Hubert C. Chen, M.D., Vice President of Translational Medicine
CARLSBAD, Calif., September 17, 2009 – Regulus Therapeutics Inc., a leading microRNA therapeutics company, today announced the appointment of Hubert C. Chen, M.D., as Vice President of Translational Medicine. At Regulus, Dr. Chen will be responsible for leading the translation of the important biological discoveries in the field of microRNA therapeutics into new medicines.
“Dr. Chen brings valuable experience and expertise to the ongoing efforts at Regulus as we continue to lead the field in the discovery, development, and commercialization of microRNA therapeutics,” said Kleanthis Xanthopoulos, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Regulus. “We are delighted to have him join our team as we work towards bringing this entirely new class of RNA drugs to market.”
“I am pleased to be joining a company that is on the cutting edge of a revolutionary technology that provides us with the ability to target entire disease pathways with a single therapeutic,” said Dr. Chen. “In this new role at Regulus I will have the rare opportunity to contribute to the development of novel therapeutics that have the potential to transform the way we practice medicine.”
About Dr. Chen
Prior to joining Regulus, Dr. Chen was senior director of clinical research at Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. where he led preclinical and clinical programs in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Previously, he led the early development of drugs for type 2 diabetes and metabolic disorders as associate director of medical sciences at Amgen Inc. He previously served as assistant clinical professor of medicine at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and was a clinical fellow at both UCSF and Harvard Medical School. He performed his postdoctoral research at Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease and his medical residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Chen received an M.D. degree from Columbia University and a B.A.S. in political sciences and biological sciences from Stanford University.
About microRNAs
microRNAs are a recently discovered class of genetically encoded endogenous RNAs, approximately 20 nucleotides in length, that are believed to regulate the expression of a large number of human genes. microRNAs have been described as being involved in the regulation of gene expression as part of physiology and development. microRNA-based therapeutics represent a new approach for the treatment of a wide range of human diseases. The inappropriate absence or presence of specific microRNAs in various cells has been shown to be associated with specific human diseases including cancer, viral infection, cardiovascular, metabolic disorders and immuno-inflammatory disease. Targeting microRNAs with novel oligonucleotide therapeutic agents could result in novel and broadly acting treatments for a number of serious human diseases.
About Regulus Therapeutics Inc.
Regulus Therapeutics Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company aiming to discover, develop, and commercialize microRNA-based therapeutics. Regulus aspires to translate one of the most important new discoveries in biology into a novel approach for innovative medicines and to build the leading microRNA company. Regulus was established by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ALNY) and Isis Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ISIS) in September of 2007 and benefits substantially from their RNA therapeutic drug discovery expertise, unique and established oligonucleotide-based technologies, and a broad and dominant intellectual property estate specific to microRNA-based therapeutics. Regulus’ patent estate includes over 600 patents and more than 300 pending patent applications pertaining primarily to chemical modifications of oligonucleotides targeting microRNA for therapeutic applications. In addition, through its numerous collaborations with academic researchers, Regulus continues to expand its knowledge on the biological role of therapeutically relevant microRNAs. In April 2008, Regulus formed a major alliance with GlaxoSmithKline to explore microRNA therapeutics for immuno-inflammatory diseases. Regulus is headquartered in Carlsbad, California. For more information, visit www.regulusrx.com.
Forward-Looking Statement
This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding the future therapeutic and commercial potential of Isis’, Alnylam’s and Regulus’ business plans, technologies and intellectual property related to microRNA therapeutics being discovered and developed by Regulus. Any statement describing Isis’, Alnylam’s or Regulus’ goals, expectations, financial or other projections, intentions or beliefs is a forward-looking statement and should be considered an at-risk statement, including those statements that are described as such parties’ goals. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, particularly those inherent in the process of discovering, developing and commercializing drugs that are safe and effective for use as human therapeutics, and in the endeavor of building a business around such products. Such parties’ forward-looking statements also involve assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove correct, could cause their results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although these forward-looking statements reflect the good faith judgment of the management of each such party, these statements are based only on facts and factors currently known by Isis, Alnylam or Regulus, as the case may be. As a result, you are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These and other risks concerning Isis’, Alnylam’s and Regulus’ programs are described in additional detail in Isis’ annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, and its most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q, and in Alnylam’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, and its most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q, which are on file with the SEC. Copies of these and other documents are available from Isis or Alnylam
