Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

ZUG, Switzerland and BOSTON, April 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CRISPR Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CRSP), a biopharmaceutical company focused on creating transformative gene-based medicines for serious diseases, today announced that members of its senior management team will present at the Annual Needham Virtual Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at 11:45 a.m. ET. A live webcast of the fireside chat will be available on the "Events & Presentations" page in the Investors section of the Company's website at . A replay of the webcast will be archived on the Company's website for 14 days following the presentation. About CRISPR Therapeutics Since its inception over a decade ago, CRISPR Therapeutics has transformed from a research-stage company advancing programs in the field of gene editing, to a company that recently celebrated the historic approval of the first-ever CRISPR-based therapy and has a diverse portfolio of product candidates across a broad range of disease areas including hemoglobinopathies, oncology, regenerative medicine, cardiovascular, autoimmune, and rare diseases. CRISPR Therapeutics advanced the first-ever CRISPR/Cas9 gene-edited therapy into the clinic in 2018 to investigate the treatment of sickle cell disease or transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, and beginning in late 2023, CASGEVY™ (exagamglogene autotemcel) was approved in some countries to treat eligible patients with either of those conditions. The Nobel Prize-winning CRISPR science has revolutionized biomedical research and represents a powerful, clinically validated approach with the potential to create a new class of potentially transformative medicines. To accelerate and expand its efforts, CRISPR Therapeutics has established strategic partnerships with leading companies including Bayer and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. CRISPR Therapeutics AG is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, with its wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, CRISPR Therapeutics, Inc., and R&D operations based in Boston, Massachusetts and San Francisco, California, and business offices in London, United Kingdom. To learn more, visit Investor Contact: Susan Kim +1-617-307-7503 susan.kim@crisprtx.com Media Contact: Rachel Eides +1-617-315-4493 rachel.eides@crisprtx.com

Syndicate led by new investor, Wellington Management, with other new premier life sciences investors including Foresite Capital, Janus Henderson Investors, Novo Holdings A/S, Paradigm BioCapital, RTW Investments, T. Rowe Price and Woodline Partners LP. Proceeds to support clinical development of OBX-115 in ongoing trials, including a multicenter trial for patients with metastatic melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer. Ray Camahort, Ph.D., Partner at Novo Holdings US, appointed to the Company’s Board of Directors. CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Obsidian Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering engineered cell and gene therapies, today announced it has closed a significantly oversubscribed $160.5 million Series C financing with a top-tier syndicate of life science investors led by new investor, Wellington Management. Additional new investors participating in the financing include Foresite Capital, Janus Henderson Investors, Novo Holdings A/S, Paradigm BioCapital, RTW Investments, funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., and Woodline Partners LP. Existing investors Atlas Venture, Blue Owl Healthcare Opportunities, Bristol Myers Squibb, Deep Track Capital, Logos Capital, RA Capital Management, TCGX, Samsara BioCapital and Surveyor Capital (a Citadel company) also participated in the financing. Proceeds from the financing will advance Obsidian’s lead engineered tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) program, OBX-115, in its ongoing trials for patients with melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The Company is focused on enrolling patients and reaching key clinical and regulatory milestones, as well as manufacturing scale-up ahead of pivotal trial readiness. The Company also announced the appointment of Ray Camahort, Ph.D., Partner in the Venture Investments group at Novo Holdings US, to its Board of Directors. “Obsidian’s engineered TIL cell therapy is highly differentiated and has the potential to bring transformational efficacy to patients with solid tumors,” said Dr. Camahort. “We look forward to supporting Obsidian’s team on their journey to bring OBX-115 to additional patients.” “Wellington is excited to be supporting Obsidian through its next phase of growth, as the Company continues demonstrating the potential of OBX-115 to address the unmet need of patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor-resistant advanced or metastatic melanoma. The Company has been generating momentum with its novel cytoDRiVE technology and advancing OBX-115 into late-stage clinical trials,” commented Irina Margine, Ph.D., Biotech Sector Lead at Wellington Management. “The strong demand and support from this syndicate of premier investors is a testament to the promise of OBX-115 for patients with treatment-resistant advanced melanoma,” said Madan Jagasia, M.D., M.S., Chief Executive Officer of Obsidian. “This financing provides funding through key clinical readouts in melanoma and is the catalyst to continue expanding OBX-115 into NSCLC, where there is significant potential and high unmet need.” About OBX-115 Obsidian’s lead investigational cytoTIL15™ program, OBX-115, is a novel engineered tumor-derived autologous T cell immunotherapy (tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte [TIL] cell therapy) armored with pharmacologically regulatable membrane-bound IL15 (mbIL15). OBX-115 has the potential to become a meaningful therapeutic option for patients with advanced or metastatic melanoma and other solid tumors by leveraging the expected benefits of mbIL15 and Obsidian’s proprietary, differentiated manufacturing process to enhance persistence, antitumor activity, and clinical safety of TIL cell therapy. OBX-115 is being investigated in two ongoing and enrolling clinical trials in advanced or metastatic melanoma and NSCLC (NCT05470283 and NCT06060613). About Obsidian Therapeutics Obsidian Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering engineered cell and gene therapies to deliver transformative outcomes for patients with intractable diseases. Obsidian’s proprietary cytoDRiVE® technology is designed to precisely regulate the timing and level of protein function by using FDA-approved small-molecule drugs. Obsidian is headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The Company has collaborations with Bristol Myers Squibb and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. For more information, please visit and follow us on LinkedIn.

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Odyssey Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering next-generation precision immunomodulators and oncology medicines, today announced the appointment of Julie Clauss, MBA, as chief operating officer and Christopher Butler, Ph.D., as senior vice president (SVP), head of Chemistry. Together, these individuals bring more than 40 years of leadership experience and scientific expertise within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries to Odyssey. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: Julie Clauss, chief operating officer (Photo: Business Wire) “As we take extraordinary leaps to improve patient outcomes, we continue to recruit the best and brightest to join our team,” said Gary D. Glick, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Odyssey Therapeutics. “Ms. Clauss and Dr. Butler have proven track records of successfully leading teams to achieve strategic business and research goals. With their backgrounds, we will continue to push new frontiers in drug discovery and development for patients living with serious diseases.” Ms. Clauss will oversee Odyssey’s business, administrative and clinical operations, providing cross-functional leadership to each of these critical functions. She will work closely with the executive team to drive operational excellence and support the realization of Odyssey’s vision of delivering transformative medicines to advance the standard of care for patients living with immune diseases and cancer. Previously, Ms. Clauss served as the vice president and lead for the Gene Therapy Platform at Ultragenyx, aligning functions across programs and driving operational efficiency, as well as the vice president and head of Research and Development (R&D) Operations at Ipsen Bioscience, establishing the strategic portfolio management group and developing data-driven global R&D strategies. Her career also includes leadership positions at Sanofi Pasteur and Sanofi. Ms. Clauss received a Master of Business Administration through the Sloan Fellows program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She holds a Master of Engineering degree from Ecole Centrale Mediterranee and a Master of Science degree in Chemistry and Physical Sciences from Joseph Fourier University. “At Odyssey, I aim to leverage my leadership experience to help drive innovation, align functions and enhance operational efficiency to achieve meaningful, patient-centric solutions,” said Ms. Clauss. “Odyssey is advancing a pipeline of medicines with exceptional potential, and I look forward to collaborating with passionate colleagues to help realize the company’s mission.” As SVP and head of Chemistry, Dr. Butler will play a pivotal role in shaping the strategic direction of the company's research efforts, driving innovation and fostering a culture of excellence within the chemistry department. Prior to joining Odyssey, he held various leadership positions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer. Dr. Butler earned his Ph.D. in organic chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and has published numerous papers and received several awards for his research efforts related to synthetic and medicinal chemistry. “I was drawn to Odyssey because of the breadth and depth of its talented scientists and leadership, as well as its relentless investment in data sciences, chemistry and research,” said Dr. Butler. “As expert drug hunters, they are at the forefront of scientific discovery, working to stay ahead of inflammatory diseases and cancer, and solve problems to get medicines to patients faster.” About Odyssey Therapeutics Odyssey Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing the next generation of immunomodulators and oncology medicines. Composed of an expert team of drug hunters, scientists and industry leaders in foundational biology, chemistry and data sciences, Odyssey is transforming drug discovery to accelerate and drive the creation and efficient delivery of life-enhancing precision medicines to patients. For more information, please visit odysseytx.com and follow Odyssey Therapeutics on X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn.