WATERTOWN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Seismic Therapeutic, Inc., the machine learning immunology company, today announced that Julie Eastland has been appointed as Independent Director to Seismic’s Board. Ms. Eastland brings more than 30 years of experience in finance and strategy in clinical stage biotechnology companies delivering novel therapeutics to patients with unmet needs in oncology and immunology.
“It is with much excitement that we welcome Julie to our Board of Directors. As a proven independent Director and executive with decades of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, Julie brings deep knowledge across the company growth and drug development continuum, from discovery through commercialization,” said Jo Viney, PhD, Co-founder, President and CEO of Seismic Therapeutic. “Julie’s wide range of leadership roles, experience with platform and asset-focused companies, and successful track record guiding biotechnology companies through significant organizational growth, and background spanning strategy, financial and operational perspectives will serve us well as we continue to mature our business and advance our first pipeline candidates into the clinic.”
“It is a privilege to join Seismic’s Board as the company continues to make a major shift in how immunology therapies are discovered and developed, enabled by machine learning,” said Julie Eastland. “I look forward to working with the accomplished team at Seismic as we build and advance a clinical pipeline of innovative enzyme and antibody drug programs to modulate the immune system in new and better ways. I believe Seismic’s approach has the potential to result in powerful, novel treatments for patients suffering from autoimmune diseases of high unmet need.”
Ms. Eastland most recently served as Chief Executive Officer and Board Director of Harpoon Therapeutics, formerly a publicly traded company (Nasdaq: HARP) focused on T-cell engager cancer immunotherapies, from November 2021 through its acquisition by Merck & Co in March of 2024. Prior to November 2021, she was a Harpoon Board Director and Chair of the Audit Committee from October 2018. Ms. Eastland has served in a variety of C-level executive roles for both private and public companies, including Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer for ReCode Therapeutics, a private company developing genetic medicines; Chief Financial Officer/Chief Business Officer for Rainier Therapeutics, a private company focused on FGFR3 in bladder cancer; Chief Financial Officer/Chief Business Officer for Cascadian Therapeutics, a public company (CASC) focused on Tukysa (tucantinib) in HER2+ breast cancer, through its acquisition by Seagen in 2018. Prior to Cascadian, Ms. Eastland served in a number of financial and strategic roles for VLST Corporation, focused on autoimmune and inflammation biology, Dendreon, an oncology cell therapy company marketing Provenge for prostate cancer, and Amgen.
Ms. Eastland currently serves as a Board member and audit chair at Dynavax Technologies (DVAX), board and audit committee member at Lantheus Holdings Inc (LNTH) and board member at Veana Therapeutics (private). Previously, she was a Board Director and Chair of the Audit Committee for Graybug Vision and Harpoon Therapeutics. She received an M.B.A. from Edinburgh University Management School and a B.S. in finance from Colorado State University.
About Seismic Therapeutic
Seismic Therapeutic™ is a biotechnology company making a major shift in how immunology therapies are discovered and developed, enabled by machine learning. The company has a growing preclinical stage best-in-class and first-in-class biologics pipeline, derived from its integrated IMPACT platform, to control dysregulated adaptive immunity and address multiple autoimmune diseases. The company is backed by a strong syndicate of life sciences investors and is located in the Boston biotechnology hub. For more information, please visit www.seismictx.com and follow us on LinkedIn and on X @Seismic_Tx.
