CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--bluebird bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLUE) a clinical-stage company committed to developing potentially transformative gene therapies for severe genetic diseases and T cell-based immunotherapies for cancer, today announced that Jim DeTore, chief financial officer, has decided to leave the company, effective March 18, 2016. In conjunction with this announcement, bluebird bio is appointing Jeffrey Walsh as chief financial and strategy officer, effective March 1, 2016. Mr. Walsh previously served as chief operating officer of bluebird bio since May 2011.
“As bluebird bio continues advancing toward commercialization, we are putting more focus on our commercial organization to best serve our future needs. In addition, we are combining several strategic functions under Jeff’s leadership to maintain our strategic focus in a rapidly evolving field. As a result, Jim has decided to pursue opportunities outside the company,” said Nick Leschly, chief bluebird. “Jim has been a valued member of the bluebird executive team, and his contributions have been instrumental to our growth. His efforts have positioned us very well both financially and strategically to continue our pursuit of life-changing treatments for patients. On behalf of the bluebird bio team, I want to thank Jim for his significant contributions and wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Prior to joining bluebird bio, Mr. Walsh served as chief business officer of Taligen Therapeutics. He has also held senior business development, finance and operations roles at PathoGenesis Corp. (acquired by Chiron Corporation), AllScripts Healthcare Solutions, EXACT Sciences and Inotek Pharmaceuticals.
About bluebird bio, Inc.
With its lentiviral-based gene
therapies, T cell immunotherapy expertise and gene editing capabilities,
bluebird bio has built an integrated product platform with broad
potential application to severe genetic diseases and cancer. bluebird
bio’s gene therapy clinical programs include its Lenti-D™ product
candidate, currently in a Phase 2/3 study, called the Starbeam Study,
for the treatment of cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, and its LentiGlobin®
BB305 product candidate, currently in three clinical studies for the
treatment of transfusion-dependent ß-thalassemia, also known as
ß-thalassemia major, and severe sickle cell disease. bluebird bio’s
oncology pipeline is built upon the company’s leadership in lentiviral
gene delivery and T cell engineering, with a focus on developing novel T
cell-based immunotherapies, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR T)
and T cell receptor (TCR) therapies. bluebird bio’s lead oncology
program, bb2121, is an anti-BCMA CAR T program partnered with Celgene.
bb2121 is currently being studied in a phase 1 trial for the treatment
of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. bluebird bio also has discovery
research programs utilizing megaTALs/homing endonuclease gene editing
technologies with the potential for use across the company’s pipeline.
bluebird bio has operations in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Seattle, Washington, and Paris, France.
LentiGlobin and Lenti-D are trademarks of bluebird bio, Inc.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains
“forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding
the advancement of, and anticipated development and regulatory
milestones and plans related to the Company’s product candidates and
clinical studies. Any forward-looking statements are based on
management’s current expectations of future events and are subject to a
number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by
such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include,
but are not limited to, the risk of cessation or delay of any of the
ongoing or planned clinical studies or development activities for our
product candidates, the risk of a delay in the enrollment of patients in
the Company’s clinical studies, the risk that the results of previously
conducted studies involving similar product candidates will not be
repeated or observed in ongoing or future studies involving current
product candidates, the risk that our collaborations will not continue
or will not be successful, and the risk that any one or more of our
product candidates will not be successfully developed and
commercialized. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and
other important factors, any of which could cause our actual results to
differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the
section entitled “Risk Factors” in our most recent annual report on Form
10-K, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and
other important factors in our subsequent filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission. All information in this press release is as of
the date of the release, and bluebird bio undertakes no duty to update
this information unless required by law.
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