BOSTON & MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--enGene Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: ENGN or “enGene” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage genetic medicines company whose non-viral lead program EG-70 is in a pivotal study for BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), today announced the election of Paul Hastings and Wouter Joustra as new members of its Board of Directors at the Company’s 2024 annual meeting of shareholders. Shareholders also reelected incumbent director Lota Zoth. Each will serve a three-year term expiring at the 2027 annual meeting of shareholders. enGene’s Board is now comprised of seven members including Richard Glickman (Chairman), Gerald Brunk, Jasper Bos, and Jason Hanson.
“We are pleased to welcome Paul and Wouter to our Board of Directors. Their breadth of biopharma industry experience across research, corporate management and finance equips them well to serve as Board members of enGene, particularly as we look to the potential expansion of our pipeline across additional urological indications and move towards our planned BLA filing for EG-70 in the first quarter of 2026,” said Jason Hanson, Chief Executive Officer of enGene.
“enGene’s non-viral DDX platform holds great promise in realizing the Company’s vision of mainstreaming genetic medicines, and I believe the design of EG-70 for ease of use makes it uniquely well-matched to the needs of community urologists caring for patients with NMIBC,” remarked Mr. Hastings. “The Company is well-positioned for success, and I look forward to working with the management team to execute its vision.”
Mr. Joustra said, “I’m thrilled to join enGene’s Board of Directors. There continues to be a profound unmet need in NMIBC, and I believe EG-70’s product profile stands out and supports a potential future role as the intravesical therapy of first choice for community and high-volume urology clinics across the country. The Company has laid out a compelling strategic plan and is looking forward to several exciting milestones, including the planned announcement of interim data from its pivotal Phase 2 Legend study mid-year as well as the planned expansion of the EG-70 program into new indications.”
Mr. Hastings has served as the President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the board of directors of Nkarta, Inc. (NASDAQ: NKTX) since February 2018. Prior to that, he served as President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of the publicly traded, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from January 2006 until January 2018. In August 2013, he was elected Chairman of the board of directors of OncoMed and served in that role until January 2018. Prior to joining OncoMed, Mr. Hastings was President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of QLT, Inc., a publicly traded biotechnology company dedicated to the development and commercialization of innovative ocular products, from February 2002 to September 2006. From 2000 to 2002, Mr. Hastings served as President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of Axys Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which was acquired by Celera Corporation in 2001. Mr. Hastings was also previously the President of Chiron Biopharmaceuticals, a division of Chiron Corporation, President and Chief Executive Officer of LXR Biotechnology, and he held a variety of management positions of increasing responsibility at Genzyme Corporation, including President of Genzyme Therapeutics Europe and President of Worldwide Therapeutics.
Mr. Hastings previously served on the board of directors of Relypsa, a publicly traded biotechnology company acquired by Galencia AG, as Chairman of the board of directors of Proteolix, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company acquired by Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., on the board of directors of ViaCell, Inc., a publicly traded biotechnology company sold to Perkin Elmer, and as a director of ViaCyte, Inc., a privately held regenerative medicine company acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Mr. Hastings currently serves as Chair of the board of Pacira Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCRX), a biotechnology company, and the immediate past Chair and Board Executive Committee member of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). Mr. Hastings received a B.S. in pharmacy from the University of Rhode Island.
Mr. Joustra is a General Partner at Forbion, a leading European life sciences venture capital firm. At Forbion, he is responsible for deal origination, general portfolio management and divestment strategies, and focuses on Forbion’s Growth Opportunities Funds, which concentrates on investing in late-stage life sciences companies. Prior to joining Forbion in 2019, Mr. Joustra previously was a Senior Trader, as well as Executive Board member of the Life Sciences franchise at Kempen, a European boutique investment bank. In this role he managed Kempen’s trading portfolio and was involved in deal structuring and equity capital markets transactions, as well as larger block trades.
Mr. Joustra also served as a member of the board of directors of Gyroscope Therapeutics until the closing of its acquisition by Novartis in February 2022 for up to $1.5 billion, the board of directors of VectivBio (NASDAQ: VECT) from December 2022 until the closing of its $1.2 billion acquisition by Ironwood Pharmaceuticals in December 2023, the board of directors of Aiolos Bio until the closing of its acquisition by GSK plc in February 2024 for up to $1.4 billion and the board of Forbion European Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company, until its completion of the business combination with enGene in October 2023.
Currently Mr. Joustra serves on the board of directors of VectorY Therapeutics and holds a position as a board observer at NewAmsterdam Pharma N.V. (NASDAQ: NAMS). He holds an M.Sc. in Business Administration from the University of Groningen, and a B.Sc. in International Business and Management from this same university.
About enGene
enGene is a clinical-stage biotechnology company mainstreaming genetic medicines through the delivery of therapeutics to mucosal tissues and other organs, with the goal of creating new ways to address diseases with high clinical needs. enGene’s lead program is EG-70 for patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with carcinoma in situ (Cis) who are unresponsive or naïve to treatment with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) – a disease with a high clinical burden. EG-70 is being evaluated in an ongoing Phase 2 pivotal study. EG-70 was developed using enGene’s proprietary Dually Derivatized Oligochitosan (DDX) platform, which enables penetration of mucosal tissues and delivery of a wide range of sizes and types of cargo, including DNA and various forms of RNA. For more information, visit enGene.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Some of the statements contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and “forward-looking information” within the meaning of Canadian securities laws (collectively, “forward-looking statements”). enGene’s forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding enGene’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions, goals, strategies, forecasts and projections. The words “anticipate”, “appear”, “approximate”, “believe”, “continue”, “could”, “estimate”, “expect”, “foresee”, “intend”, “may”, “might”, “plan”, “possible”, “potential”, “predict”, “project”, “seek”, “should”, “would”, and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements may include, for example, statements about: our beliefs as to the potential benefits of EG-70, the Company’s plans for potential pipeline expansion, including the timing of any announcement, plans for future regulatory submissions, including the planned Biologics License Application, or BLA, for EG-70 and the expected timeline for the interim Phase 2 results from the EG-70 program.
Many factors, risks, uncertainties and assumptions could cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the Company’s ability to recruit and retain qualified scientific and management personnel; establish clinical trial sites and enroll patients in its clinical trials; execute on the Company’s clinical development plans and ability to secure regulatory approval on anticipated timelines; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR+ and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on EDGAR, including those described in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023 and most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (copies of which may be obtained at www.sedarplus.ca or www.sec.gov).
You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. enGene anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause enGene’s assessments to change. While enGene may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, enGene specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, unless required by applicable law. Nothing in this press release should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved.
