Press Release

CRISPR Therapeutics Announces Transition of Bill Lundberg, MD

ZUG, Switzerland and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CRISPR Therapeutics (Nasdaq:CRSP), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing transformative gene-based medicines for serious diseases, today announced that Bill Lundberg, MD, is stepping down as Chief Scientific Officer of CRISPR. Going forward, Dr. Lundberg will serve as a Senior Advisor to the Company and has been named Head of CRISPR’s Scientific Advisory Board.

“I have had the privilege of working with a wonderful, talented and dedicated group of people at CRISPR Therapeutics,” said Dr. Lundberg. “We have filed the first company-sponsored clinical trial applications for CRISPR-based therapies, and now is a natural time for me to transition to a Senior Advisor role. I am confident in the success of the CRISPR team to continue to advance important gene-based medicines for patients suffering from devastating diseases.”

“Bill was instrumental in establishing our research operations and advancing our CRISPR/Cas9 platform from the research phase to clinical evaluation. On behalf of CRISPR Therapeutics, I thank Bill for his leadership and look forward to his continued involvement,” commented Samarth Kulkarni, PhD, CEO of CRISPR Therapeutics. “CRISPR will continue to build on this foundation under the leadership of Dr. Tony Ho, Head of R&D, to advance our mission of translating the CRISPR/Cas9 platform into transformative medicines.”

About CRISPR Therapeutics

CRISPR Therapeutics is a leading gene-editing company focused on developing transformative gene-based medicines for serious diseases using its proprietary CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing platform. CRISPR/Cas9 is a revolutionary technology that allows for precise, directed changes to genomic DNA. The company's multi-disciplinary team of world-class researchers and drug developers is working to translate this technology into breakthrough human therapeutics in a number of serious diseases. Additionally, CRISPR Therapeutics has established strategic collaborations with Bayer AG and Vertex Pharmaceuticals to develop CRISPR-based therapeutics in diseases with high unmet need. The foundational CRISPR/Cas9 patent estate for human therapeutic use was licensed from the company's scientific founder Emmanuelle Charpentier, Ph.D. CRISPR Therapeutics AG is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, with its wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, CRISPR Therapeutics, Inc., and R&D operations based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit http://www.crisprtx.com.

CRISPR Forward-Looking Statement

Certain statements set forth in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including, but not limited to, statements concerning: the timing of filing of clinical trial applications and INDs and timing of commencement of clinical trials, the intellectual property coverage and positions of the Company, its licensors and third parties, the sufficiency of the Company’s cash resources and the therapeutic value, development, and commercial potential of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technologies and therapies. You are cautioned that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain. Although the Company believes that such statements are based on reasonable assumptions within the bounds of its knowledge of its business and operations, the forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and they are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk. Actual performance and results may differ materially from those projected or suggested in the forward-looking statements due to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, among others: uncertainties regarding the intellectual property protection for our technology and intellectual property belonging to third parties; uncertainties inherent in the initiation and completion of preclinical studies for the Company’s product candidates; availability and timing of results from preclinical studies; whether results from a preclinical trial will be predictive of future results of the future trials; expectations for regulatory approvals to conduct trials or to market products; and those risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K, and in any other subsequent filings made by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made.

CONTACTS

CRISPR Therapeutics

Investors:
Chris Erdman
617-307-7227
chris.erdman@crisprtx.com
or
Chris Brinzey
Westwicke Partners
339-970-2843
chris.brinzey@westwicke.com

Media:
Jennifer Paganelli
WCG for CRISPR
347-658-8290
jpaganelli@wcgworld.com

CRISPR Therapeutics AG