Jan 19, 2022

01/19/2022 | 07:31am EST Message : --Recognized industry leader brings deep scientific and operational experience to Expansion board Expansion Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing transformative oral medicines for severe RNA-mediated diseases, today announced the appointment of Gary Bridger, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors, serving as an independent director. Dr. Bridger has more than 30 years of experience in research and development and a breadth of management and operational experience, having served in senior leadership positions and on the boards for several leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. He currently serves as interim Chief Scientific Officer and independent board member for Liminal Biosciences, as well as an independent board member for X4 Pharmaceuticals. “We are excited to work with Dr. Bridger and welcome his strategic insight, research knowledge and clinical experience to advance the development of our pipeline of small molecule medicines for severe RNA-mediated neurodegenerative diseases,” said Renato Skerlj, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and President of Expansion Therapeutics. “In addition to his broad experience, he also shares in our company’s goal of helping patients with neurodegenerative diseases who currently have limited or no treatment options.” “We look forward to collaborating and working alongside Dr. Bridger to position Expansion as the leading company in developing transformative oral medicines for severe RNA-mediated diseases,” said Scott Rocklage, Ph.D., Board Chairman. Most recently, Dr. Bridger served on the Board of Directors for Aquinox Pharmaceuticals from 2015 until the company merged with Neoleukin Therapeutics in 2019. Prior to that, he was Managing Director at Five Corners Capital, where he was involved in several initial public offerings (IPOs) on the Nasdaq for portfolio companies, including Alder Biopharmaceuticals, Aquinox Pharmaceuticals, Celator Pharmaceuticals, MacroGenics Inc., and Xenon Pharmaceuticals. He also has served on the boards for Alder, Aquinox, Neuraxon Inc. and was a board observer for Celator and Presidio Pharmaceuticals. “I believe Expansion’s differentiated platform holds tremendous promise in delivering disease-modifying therapies to treat a wide range of RNA-mediated diseases, particularly neurodegenerative diseases,” said Dr. Bridger. “I look forward to working closely with Expansion’s leadership team and Board of Directors to elevate its strategy and operations as the company grows and progresses its pipeline of novel RNA-targeted drug candidates through preclinical and clinical development.” Before joining Five Corners Capital, Dr. Bridger was Executive Vice President of Research and Development for Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc., developing innovative therapies for neurological disorders, including epilepsy. Previously, he served as a partner at Ventures West Capital Management where he provided scientific and operational expertise to life sciences companies. Dr. Bridger has also held senior positions at Genzyme Corporation and AnorMED Inc. While at Genzyme, he was directly involved in the successful regulatory filing, approval and launch of Mozobil®(plerixafor), in the U.S., Europe and Canada. He began his pharmaceutical career at Johnson Matthey Pharmaceutical Research. Dr. Bridger received his B.Sc. in Chemistry and his Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), in Manchester, UK. He completed his post-doctoral research fellowship in Organic Chemistry at Boston College. He has authored more than 90 peer-reviewed publications and has over 40 issued patents. About Expansion Therapeutics Expansion Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing transformative oral medicines for severe RNA-mediated diseases including neurodegenerative disorders. Based on exclusive worldwide rights to groundbreaking research from the laboratory of Matthew D. Disney, Ph.D., at Scripps Research, Expansion has assembled the intellectual property, know-how, and proprietary enabling technologies and tools necessary to facilitate the creation of potent and specific small molecule RNA modulators. Through this unique platform, Expansion is building a portfolio of novel RNA-targeted drug candidates with activity across a broad number of severe RNA-mediated disease indications. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Expansion’s research facility is located in Jupiter, Florida. For more information, visit www.expansionrx.com . View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220119005257/en/ © Business Wire 2022