BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--resTORbio, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics for the treatment of aging-related diseases, today announced that Lynne Sullivan, Senior Vice President of Finance for Biogen, Inc. has joined the resTORbio board of directors as an independent director. Ms. Sullivan will serve as the chair of the Audit Committee.
“We are excited to have Lynne join our board of directors at such an important stage in resTORbio’s growth,” said Chen Schor, President and CEO of resTORbio. “We are fortunate to benefit from Lynne’s extensive experience in finance, accounting, financial planning and strategy, as we grow a sustainable company with novel therapeutics for aging-related diseases.”
Lynne Sullivan said, “I am enthusiastic to be joining resTORbio’s board of directors, and I believe the company’s approach is well-suited to address aging-related diseases. As a first indication, the potential to address the important public health issue of respiratory tract infections in the elderly is significant on many levels.”
Ms. Sullivan is currently the Senior Vice President of Finance for Biogen, Inc., where she has worked since 2008. Ms. Sullivan has global responsibility for Biogen’s Financial Planning & Analysis, Corporate Tax, and Corporate Finance groups, which includes ownership of long-range planning, capital allocation projects and the financial aspects of Mergers & Acquisitions/Business Development. Previously, Ms. Sullivan was the Vice President of Tax for Biogen, Vice President Tax for EMD Serono and the Vice President of Tax North America at Merck KgaA. She was also a Tax Partner at Arthur Anderson, where she led the North East Region’s Tax Consulting Practice for the firm. Ms. Sullivan is on the Board of Solid Biosciences LLC, where she has chaired the Audit Committee since 2015. Ms. Sullivan holds a B.S. in Accounting from Suffolk University and a M.S. in Taxation from Bentley College.
About Respiratory Tract Infections (RTIs) in the Elderly
The
decline in immune function that occurs during aging, or
immunosenescence, increases susceptibility to a variety of diseases,
including respiratory tract infections, or RTIs, that significantly
contribute to morbidity and mortality in the elderly. According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, RTIs are the fifth leading cause of death in people
age 85 and over and the seventh leading cause of death in people age 65
and over. RTIs also result in high healthcare costs for the elderly
population and burden the healthcare system. The majority of RTIs are
caused by viruses for which there are no FDA-approved therapies. As the
elderly represent the fastest growing population in the world, there is
significant unmet medical need for innovative therapeutic options to
reduce the incidence of RTIs by enhancing the function of the aging
immune system.
About TORC1
Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a
protein serine/threonine kinase that regulates the process of aging and
aging-related diseases and conditions, via two complexes: TORC1 and
TORC2. TORC1 inhibition has been found to have many beneficial effects
on aging-related diseases and conditions, while TORC2 inhibition has
been associated with adverse events including hyperglycemia and
hyperlipidemia. The TORC1 inhibitor program being developed by resTORbio
may, therefore, have therapeutic potential to ameliorate multiple
aging-related diseases without the undesirable side effects associated
with TORC2 inhibition.
About resTORbio
resTORbio, Inc. is a clinical-stage
biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and
commercialization of novel therapeutics for the treatment of
aging-related diseases. resTORbio’s lead program is targeting the target
of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1) pathway to treat aging-related diseases
and conditions with an initial focus on conditions caused by
immunosenescence, the decline in immune function that occurs during
aging. resTORbio’s lead product candidate, RTB101, alone or in
combination with everolimus, is in a Phase 2b clinical trial to evaluate
its potential in reducing the incidence of respiratory tract infections
(RTI) in elderly subjects at increased risk of RTI-related morbidity and
mortality. resTORbio’s lead program is supported by two Phase 2a
clinical studies from which promising safety and efficacy signals were
observed in almost 500 elderly subjects. resTORbio is pursuing a
pragmatic clinical development plan to address areas of key unmet
medical need in the aging population. For more information, please visit www.restorbio.com.
resTORbio is an affiliate of PureTech
Health.
