Press Release

CRISPR Therapeutics Appoints Tony Coles, M.D., to its Board of Directors

BASEL, Switzerland – December 11, 2015 – CRISPR Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing transformative gene-based medicines for patients with serious diseases, today announced the appointment of Tony Coles, M.D., to the company's Board of Directors.

"Dr. Coles is a venerated leader in the biotech industry with a strong track record of success," said Rodger Novak, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of CRISPR Therapeutics. "The appointment of Dr. Coles is in line with our effort to bring the best talent to CRISPR Therapeutics and rapidly become a leading biopharmaceutical company devoted to discovering and developing novel medicines for patients suffering from diseases with limited treatment options."

"It is an exciting time for CRISPR Therapeutics as new funding and strategic partnerships support the development of a transformative pipeline of gene-based medicines," said Dr. Coles. "I am thrilled to be a part of the CRISPR team and join the company in its mission to advance innovative therapies toward the clinic and patients in urgent need for new treatments."

About Dr. Tony Coles

Dr. Coles is the founding investor and serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Yumanity Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on transforming drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases caused by protein misfolding. Prior to founding Yumanity, Dr. Coles was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which was acquired by Amgen in late 2013 for $10.5 billion. Dr. Coles has previously held various executive and leadership positions at NPS Pharmaceuticals, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Merck & Co, Inc.

Dr. Coles completed his cardiology and internal medicine training at Massachusetts General Hospital and was a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School. He earned his M.D. from Duke University, a master's degree in public health from Harvard University and an undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Coles curently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of McKesson Corporation (NYSE: MCK), is Vice Chair of the board of trustees for Johns Hopkins University and is a member of the board of trustees for Johns Hopkins Medicine. In March 2015, Dr. Coles was named to the NIH working group tasked with charting the course for President Obama's Precision Medicine Initiative.

About CRISPR Therapeutics

CRISPR Therapeutics' mission is to develop transformative gene-based medicines for patients with serious diseases. Our therapeutic approach is to cure diseases at the molecular level using the breakthrough gene editing technology called CRISPR-Cas9. With our multi-disciplinary team of world-renowned academics, drug developers and clinicians, we are uniquely positioned to translate CRISPR-Cas9 technology into human therapeutics. We have licensed the foundational CRISPR-Cas9 patent estate for human therapeutic use from our scientific founder, Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier. We are headquartered in Basel, Switzerland with our R&D operations being based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. www.crisprtx.com

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