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.
