WATERTOWN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SQZ Biotechnologies (NYSE: SQZ), focused on unlocking the full potential of cell therapies for multiple therapeutic areas, today announced that John Maraganore, Ph.D., founding CEO of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, has joined the company as a strategic advisor.
“John is an iconic biotech CEO and I have greatly appreciated his insight and support over the years as we have built SQZ,” said Armon Sharei, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Founder of SQZ Biotechnologies. “With the SQZ™ APC program’s recent monotherapy clinical response data, we are at an exciting juncture. I look forward to drawing upon John’s vast experience in bringing a novel modality to patients as we build on this initial milestone and advance our pipeline across multiple disease areas.”
“Cell therapies offer tremendous potential for patients around the world who are battling many different types of diseases,” said Dr. Maraganore. “SQZ’s unique approach to cell therapy development and manufacturing could potentially enable a multitude of innovative therapies that are not only safe and effective, but also practical and accessible. I look forward to supporting Armon and the team in this important work and to helping realize the great potential of SQZ cell therapies.”
Dr. Maraganore served as the founding CEO and a Director of Alnylam from 2002 to 2021, where he built and led the company from early platform research on RNA interference through global approval and commercialization of the first three RNAi medicines, including ONPATTRO®, GIVLAARI®, and OXLUMO®. Prior to Alnylam, he served as an officer and a member of the management team for Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and was responsible for the company’s product franchises in oncology, and cardiovascular, inflammatory, and metabolic diseases. Before Millennium, he served as Director of Molecular Biology and Director of Market and Business Development at Biogen, Inc. At Biogen, Dr. Maraganore invented and led the discovery and development of ANGIOMAX® (bivalirudin) for injection. Prior to Biogen, Dr. Maraganore was a scientist at ZymoGenetics, Inc. and the Upjohn Company.
Dr. Maraganore received his Master of Science and Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Chicago. He is a Venture Partner at ARCH Venture Partners and a member of the board of directors of Agios Pharmaceuticals, Beam Therapeutics, and the Biotechnology Industry Organization.
About SQZ Biotechnologies
SQZ Biotechnologies Company is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on unlocking the full potential of cell therapies for patients around the world and has active programs in Oncology, Autoimmune and Infectious Diseases, as well as additional exploratory initiatives to support future pipeline growth. The company’s proprietary Cell Squeeze® technology offers the unique ability to deliver multiple biological materials into many cell types to engineer what we believe can be a broad range of potential therapeutics. With demonstrated production timelines under 24 hours and the opportunity to eliminate preconditioning and lengthy hospital stays, our approach could significantly broaden the therapeutic range and accessibility of cell therapies. The company’s first therapeutic applications seek to generate target-specific immune responses, both in activation for the treatment of solid tumors and infectious diseases, and in immune tolerance for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. For more information, please visit www.sqzbiotech.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including without limitation statements relating to our platform development, our product candidates, clinical activities, progress and outcomes, development plans, manufacturing, clinical safety and efficacy results, therapeutic impact and market opportunities. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to several risk factors. Such factors include, among others, risks and uncertainties related to our limited operating history; our significant losses incurred since inception and expectation to incur significant additional losses for the foreseeable future; the development of our initial product candidates, upon which our business is highly dependent; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operations and clinical activities; our need for additional funding and our cash runway; the lengthy, expensive, and uncertain process of clinical drug development, including uncertain outcomes of clinical trials and potential delays in regulatory approval; our ability to maintain our relationships with our third party vendors and strategic collaborators; and protection of our proprietary technology, intellectual property portfolio and the confidentiality of our trade secrets. These and other important factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, as updated by our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2021 and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements represent management's estimates as of this date and we undertake no duty to update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, the occurrence of current events, or otherwise, unless required by law.
Certain information contained in this press release relates to or is based on studies, publications, surveys and other data obtained from third-party sources and our own internal estimates and research. While we believe these third-party sources to be reliable as of the date of this press release, we have not independently verified, and we make no representation as to the adequacy, fairness, accuracy, or completeness of any information obtained from third-party sources.
