Translate Bio Appoints George Demetri, M.D., to its Board of Directors

LEXINGTON, Mass., July 15, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Translate Bio (Nasdaq: TBIO), a clinical-stage messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics company developing a new class of potentially transformative medicines to treat diseases caused by protein or gene dysfunction, today announced the appointment of George D. Demetri, M.D., a physician-scientist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School to its Board of Directors.

“We are honored to have Dr. Demetri join our Board of Directors as we advance our second program into the clinic,” said Ronald Renaud, chief executive officer of Translate Bio. “As a highly respected oncologist, we anticipate that Dr. Demetri’s expertise in developing novel therapeutics will provide valuable insights as we continue to develop first-in-class messenger RNA therapeutics for debilitating genetic diseases.”

Dr. Demetri is currently the Senior Vice President for Experimental Therapeutics at DFCI, Director of the Sarcoma Center at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center, and Co-Director of the Ludwig Center at Harvard Medical School. At Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, he leads a multidisciplinary team focused on developing novel therapeutics for solid tumors, with an emphasis on sarcomas. His research and clinical interests have centered on mechanism-based drug development for solid tumors, and he has contributed to the development of numerous approved therapies, as well as other new targeted therapeutics in development. Dr. Demetri serves as Chair of the Science Policy and Government Affairs Committee of the American Association for Cancer Research, as well as several scientific and editorial advisory boards. Dr. Demetri completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Washington Hospitals in Seattle and a fellowship in medical oncology at DFCI. He earned his medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine after receiving an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Harvard University.

“Translate Bio’s focus on developing novel mRNA therapeutics for diseases in areas of high unmet need aligns well with my commitment to developing novel therapeutics and passion for improving patient outcomes,” said Dr. Demetri. “I look forward to working closely with the Translate Bio team and my fellow board members to help guide clinical development opportunities and advance additional, cutting-edge programs into the clinic.”

About Translate Bio
Translate Bio is a clinical-stage mRNA therapeutics company developing a new class of potentially transformative medicines to treat diseases caused by protein or gene dysfunction. The Company’s MRT platform is designed to develop product candidates that deliver mRNA carrying instructions to produce intracellular, transmembrane and secreted proteins for therapeutic benefit. Translate Bio believes that its MRT platform is applicable to a broad range of diseases caused by insufficient protein production or where production of proteins can modify disease, including diseases that affect the lung, liver, eye and central nervous system. The Company also believes its MRT platform may be applied to various classes of treatments, such as therapeutic antibodies or vaccines in areas such as infectious disease and oncology. Translate Bio’s two lead programs are being developed as treatments for cystic fibrosis (CF) and ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency. For more information about the Company, please visit www.translate.bio or on Twitter at @TranslateBio.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those regarding:  Translate Bio’s expectations regarding the potential for the newly appointed board member to provide leadership, experience, insights and regulatory direction and to help advance Translate’s current and planned programs; Translate Bio’s beliefs regarding the broad applicability of its MRT platform; and Translate Bio’s plans, strategies and prospects for its business, including its lead development programs. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Such statements are subject to numerous important factors, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from current expectations and beliefs, including but not limited to: Translate Bio’s ability to advance the development of its platform and programs under the timelines it projects, demonstrate the requisite safety and efficacy of its product candidates and replicate in clinical trials any positive findings from preclinical studies; the content and timing of decisions made by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, other regulatory authorities and investigational review boards at clinical trial sites, including as it relates to ongoing and planned clinical trials; Translate Bio’s ability to obtain, maintain and enforce necessary patent and other intellectual property protection; the availability of significant cash required to fund operations; competitive factors; general economic and market conditions and other important risk factors set forth under the caption “Risk Factors” in Translate Bio’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2019 and in other filings made by Translate Bio. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Translate Bio specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.