RICHMOND, Calif., April 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/
-- Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGMO), the leader in
therapeutic genome editing, today announced that its founder and
Chairman Edward Lanphier is not
standing for re-election as a director nominee of Sangamo's Board
of Directors at the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The
announcement comes after a year-long transition period following
Lanphier's retirement from Sangamo management in June 2016 after 21 years as President and Chief
Executive Officer.
"Under Edward's leadership, Sangamo pioneered the field of
genome editing with the development of ground-breaking technologies
such as our zinc finger protein platform for therapeutic
applications with the potential to fundamentally change the way
medicine is practiced," said H. Stewart
Parker, Sangamo director and nominee to succeed Lanphier as
board chair following the Annual Meeting.
Added Dr. Sandy Macrae, Sangamo's
president and CEO: "Edward tirelessly built Sangamo into a leader
in the emerging field of genomic therapies. I look to build upon
the foundation he established and to realize our shared vision of
delivering novel and potentially curative medicines to patients
with serious genetic diseases."
Lanphier's career is celebrated for the scientific breakthroughs
he enabled at Sangamo and for his public policy and thought
leadership in the regenerative medicine and advanced therapies
field.
Lanphier founded Sangamo in 1995 as a company focused on
regulation of gene expression based upon zinc finger DNA binding
protein technology. He fostered scientific innovation within the
company, enabling development of methods for highly efficient and
specific genome editing. Sangamo's scientists were the first to
demonstrate the advantages of this approach in plant and animal
species, leading to new methods for the production of novel
transgenic animal models and crop modification techniques and
laying the foundation for research into human therapeutic uses.
Under Lanphier's leadership, Sangamo scientists were the first
to evaluate the safety and efficacy of genome editing techniques in
human clinical trials, including the Company's legacy clinical
research into cell therapies for HIV. Technologies developed
through this program now hold promise as a potential cell therapy
approach for cancer and monogenic diseases, including sickle cell
disease and beta thalassemia.
Lanphier also championed the development of in vivo
genome editing techniques for their potential to cure genetically
tractable diseases. Sangamo's zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) technology
is the most advanced genome editing technology in development and
with its demonstrated efficiency, precision and specificity has
earned clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for
in vivo human clinical studies. This year Sangamo is
conducting the first ever in vivo genome editing clinical
trials evaluating ZFN-mediated therapeutic genome editing
approaches for the treatment of hemophilia B, a rare blood
disorder, and two rare lysosomal storage disorders, MPS I and MPS
II.
A passionate public company CEO, Lanphier developed strong
relationships with a broad base of biotechnology investors and
industry collaborators and kept Sangamo well financed throughout
his tenure, seeking to minimize shareholder dilution and avoiding
the use of debt.
Lanphier served as a member of the board of directors of the
Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) from 2012 through 2016 and
as chairman from 2014 until 2016. During his term as chairman, ARM
grew to include more than 245 members and was recognized as the
leading international advocacy organization for gene and cell
therapies and the broader regenerative medicine sector. Lanphier
heralded the promise of curing diseases through genome editing
while also advocating for responsible use of the technology,
leading the charge in calling for open debate and discussion of
germline genome editing with an editorial published in
Nature in March 2015.
"The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine would like to recognize
and thank Edward for his extraordinary leadership during his tenure
as chair and his commitment to expanding the influence of the
organization in the U.S. and Europe. We would also like to
acknowledge his significant contributions to the gene therapy and
gene editing sectors throughout his 30-plus years in the industry,"
said Morrie Ruffin, managing
director of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine. "All of us in
this field owe Edward appreciation and gratitude for his unwavering
belief in the life-saving potential of these technologies."
About Sangamo Therapeutics
Sangamo
Therapeutics, Inc. is focused on translating ground-breaking
science into genomic therapies that transform patients' lives using
the company's industry leading platform technologies in genome
editing, gene therapy, gene regulation and cell therapy. The
Company is advancing Phase 1/2 clinical programs in hemophilia A
and hemophilia B, and lysosomal storage disorders MPS I and MPS II.
Sangamo has a strategic collaboration with Bioverativ Inc. for
hemoglobinopathies, including beta thalassemia and sickle cell
disease, and with Shire International GmbH to develop therapeutics
for Huntington's disease. In addition, it has established strategic
partnerships with companies in non-therapeutic applications of its
technology, including Sigma-Aldrich Corporation and Dow
AgroSciences. For more information about Sangamo, visit the
Company's website at www.sangamo.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements based
on Sangamo's current expectations. These forward-looking statements
include, without limitation, references relating to the potential
of genome editing technology to cure diseases. These statements are
not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain
risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are
not limited to, the dependence on the success of clinical trials of
lead programs, the lengthy and uncertain regulatory approval
process, uncertainties related to the timing of initiation and
completion of clinical trials, whether clinical trial results will
validate and support the safety and efficacy of ZFP Therapeutics,
and the ability to establish strategic partnerships. Further, there
can be no assurance that the necessary regulatory approvals will be
obtained or that Sangamo and its partners will be able to develop
commercially viable gene-based therapeutics. Actual results may
differ from those projected in forward-looking statements due to
risks and uncertainties that exist in Sangamo's operations and
business environments. These risks and uncertainties are described
more fully in Sangamo's Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly
Reports on Form 10-Q as filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Forward-looking statements contained in this
announcement are made as of this date, and Sangamo undertakes no
duty to update such information except as required under applicable
law.
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SOURCE Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc.