– USA, MA – Dimension Therapeutics, Inc. a leading rare disease company advancing novel, liver-directed treatments for diverse genetic disorders, today announced that it has expanded its Board of Directors with the elections of Georges Gemayel, Ph.D., former Executive Vice President of Genzyme Corporation, and Arlene M. Morris, former CEO of Syndax Pharmaceuticals. Dimension also announced that Donald J. Hayden, Jr., is leaving his position as a member of the Company’s Board of Directors. The new Board members join current members Chairman Ben Auspitz, Partner at Fidelity Biosciences, Mike Dybbs, Ph.D., Partner, New Leaf Venture Partners, Rishi Gupta, JD, Private Equity Partner at OrbiMed, Annalisa Jenkins, MBBS, MRCP, Chief Executive Officer of Dimension, and George Migausky, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Dyax Corp.
“We are very pleased to welcome Georges and Arlene to the Board, each of whom brings exceptional strategic global and operational expertise in building thriving, successful life sciences firms,” said Dr. Jenkins. “These individuals have left their mark on the industry, pursuing diverse, highly successful careers as prominent leaders across the Biopharma ecosystem. We are pleased to augment our Board at this time of evolution and growth at Dimension.”
“We are thrilled to welcome these distinguished industry leaders to Dimension’s Board,” stated Mr. Auspitz. “Additionally, I would like to thank Don for his longstanding commitment and significant contributions as a member of the Board since Dimension’s inception. Don’s guidance and depth of insight have been invaluable as the company has advanced and expanded its pipeline, completed successful fundraisings, and deepened its management team.”
Dimension’s New Board Members
Dr. Gemayel has served as Executive Chairman of Vascular Magnetics Inc., Syndexa, and FoldRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc (acquired by Pfizer). Previously, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Altus Pharmaceuticals Inc., and as Executive Vice President at Genzyme Corporation. Before joining Genzyme, Dr. Gemayel held progressively senior roles at Hoffmann La-Roche and Roche Labs, where he was responsible for its US businesses in dermatology, oncology, transplantation, hepatitis and HIV. Dr. Gemayel is the chairman of the board of directors of Orphazyme, OxThera, and Enterome Bioscience, and also serves on the boards of the International Institute of New England, Raptor Pharmaceuticals, and Supernus Pharmaceuticals. He was previously a Director of Adolor Corporation, a publicly traded company (acquired by Cubist Pharmaceuticals), a Director at Prosensa (acquired by BioMarin), a Director of Epitherapeutics (acquired by Gilead), and a Director at NPS (acquired by Shire). Dr. Gemayel received his doctorate in pharmacy from St. Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon, and his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Paris-Sud University.
Ms. Morris was most recently President and Chief Executive Officer of Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Previously, she was President and CEO of Affymax, Inc. During her tenure, Ms. Morris led Affymax through the development of peginesatide (Omontys®), a strategic collaboration with Takeda, and its initial public offering. Prior to this, Ms. Morris was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Clearview Projects. Previously, she was the Senior Vice President, Business Development at Coulter, where she completed numerous transactions, including a $900 million merger between Coulter and Corixa Corporation. She also previously served as Vice President, Business Development at Scios. Ms. Morris began her career at Johnson & Johnson, and during her 15-year tenure, she rose to the position of Vice President of Business Development. Ms. Morris received her B.A. in Biology and Chemistry from Carlow College.
About Dimension Therapeutics
Dimension Therapeutics, Inc. is a rare disease company focused on discovering and developing new therapeutic products for people living with devastating rare diseases associated with the liver and based on the most advanced adeno-associated virus (AAV) delivery technology. The company is advancing multiple programs toward clinical development, including: programs addressing unmet needs for patients suffering from OTC deficiency and GSDIa; a collaboration with Bayer HealthCare in hemophilia A, and a wholly owned program in hemophilia B, which is expected to enter clinical testing in the second half of 2015. Dimension has preferred access to multiple AAV vectors from REGENXBIO. The Dimension team and senior advisors include biotech industry veterans and renowned thought leaders in gene therapy and rare diseases.
- Disclaimer - News, data, and statements included in this release are intended exclusively for general information purposes. Talent4Boards does not guarantee that news is accurate or about the correct person and accepts neither liability for the consequences of the reader’s reliance, nor responsibility for the accuracy of the information. Nothing in this release should be considered for decisions about referred securities. Products and brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
