PepGen, Inc., a company advancing next-generation oligonucleotide therapies for neuromuscular and neurologic diseases, today announced that it has appointed Laurie Keating as Chair of the company’s Board of Directors.

“We are very pleased that Laurie has agreed to join as Chair of our Board of Directors – she is a seasoned executive and Board member who has been a key member of the executive teams of two Boston biotechs that have transitioned from preclinical to successful commercial companies. We look forward to her strategic contributions and guidance as we continue to grow and build PepGen into a leading oligonucleotide therapies company focused on serious genetic disorders,” said James McArthur, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of PepGen.

Dr. McArthur continued, “Laurie replaces Ramin Farzaneh-Far, M.D., who served as PepGen’s Board Chair from November 2020 and will continue in his current role as acting Chief Medical Officer. We are very grateful to Ramin for his critical service in advancing the company, and for his support during our Series A and B fundraising rounds.”

In addition to her role on the PepGen Board of Directors, Laurie also serves as a Director of Immuneering Corp (Nasdaq:IMRX) and Imago Biosciences (Nasdaq:IMGO), and has served for more than ten years on the Board of MassBio. Laurie previously served as the Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. In this role she led global government affairs, legal, IP, litigation and compliance, and advised the Board on financing and strategic collaborations, governance, and corporate strategy. Prior to Alnylam, she served as SVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Millennium Pharmaceuticals, a commercial stage company that was later acquired by Takeda. At Millennium, Laurie led the global Legal, Intellectual Property, Corporate Quality and Compliance groups. Prior to Millennium, Laurie was founding CEO and a director of Hydra Biosciences. Her contributions and executive leadership at public high technology companies earlier in her career led to her being named one of the 45 most influential in-house lawyers in the U.S. under the age of 45. Laurie earned her bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley, and her JD from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

“I am thrilled to be joining PepGen as the new Chair of the Board of Directors. I look forward to guiding the company’s development and supporting the leadership team as they seek to transform the lives of patients with innovative new treatment options for severe neuromuscular and neurologic diseases,” Keating said.

About PepGen 

PepGen, Inc. is a biotechnology company advancing next-generation oligonucleotide therapies for neuromuscular and neurologic diseases. PepGen’s proprietary Enhanced Delivery Oligonucleotides (EDOs) are designed to target the underlying causes of rare diseases safely and effectively such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1). In preclinical studies, PepGen’s enhanced delivery peptides demonstrated success in cell penetration and delivery of therapeutic candidates to multiple tissue types, including cardiac tissue. PepGen was founded by leading neurology researchers in Oxford, UK and is backed by a strong syndicate of investors including RA Capital Management, Oxford Science Enterprises, and others. The company is headquartered in Boston, Mass. For more information, visit www.pepgen.com or follow PepGen on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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