Press Release

CRISPR Therapeutics Bolsters Management Team with Samarth Kulkarni as Chief Business Officer and Michael Bruce as Senior Vice President, Program Portfolio and Alliance Management

BASEL, Switzerland and CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts – August 11, 2015 – CRISPR Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company focused on translating CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology into cures for serious human diseases, today announced the expansion of the leadership team with the appointments of Samarth Kulkarni, Ph.D., as Chief Business Officer and Michael Bruce, Ph.D., as Senior Vice President, Program Portfolio and Alliance Management.

“Dr. Kulkarni and Dr. Bruce both bring significant industry experience that will enable us to maximize the potential of CRISPR-Cas9-based therapies as cures for serious human diseases,” said Dr. Rodger Novak, Chief Executive Officer of CRISPR Therapeutics. “Dr. Kulkarni’s expertise in strategy and operations related to cutting-edge therapeutic technologies and Dr. Bruce’s experience in portfolio and alliance management across therapeutic areas will be instrumental as we expand our portfolio and accelerate our programs toward the clinic.”

“Not only does this technology have curative potential, but by directly and precisely editing the gene responsible for the disease, this technology has broad applicability, addressing many different types of genetic disorders,” said Dr. Kulkarni. “I look forward to helping the team create new opportunities to translate CRISPR-Cas9 into groundbreaking therapies.”

“With multiple preclinical exploratory studies having demonstrated strong efficacy and specificity across a variety of indications, we have stirred great excitement in the therapeutic and research communities for curative potential,” said Dr. Bruce. “I am thrilled to lead the portfolio and alliance activities at CRISPR Therapeutics to bring this breakthrough technology into the clinic for patients who suffer from serious, debilitating diseases.”

About Samarth Kulkarni

Dr. Kulkarni joins CRISPR Therapeutics from McKinsey and Company where he was a Partner and had a leading role in the Pharmaceutical and Medical products practice. While at McKinsey, he co-led the biotech practice and served a number of biotechnology companies on topics ranging from strategy to operations. Additionally, Dr. Kulkarni led initiatives in cutting edge areas such as personalized medicine and immunotherapy, where he co-authored several publications. He has a Ph.D. in bioengineering and nanotechnology from the University of Washington and a B. Tech. from the Indian Institute of Technology. While at the University of Washington, Dr. Kulkarni conducted research in the delivery of biological drugs and in the field of molecular diagnostics, which has been published in several leading journals.

About Michael Bruce

Dr. Bruce joins the team from Pfizer where he held positions of increasing responsibility over the last five years in the program, portfolio and alliance management functions. Most recently, he held the position of Vice President of Development Management and Business Operations for Worldwide Research & Development where he was responsible for the program management of all early stage (Ph 0-2) development programs in multiple therapeutic areas and modalities. He was also responsible for clinical trial business operations and alliance management, which was charged with operationalizing the portfolio of investments for all early clinical trials. Prior to Pfizer, Dr. Bruce served in roles of increasing responsibility in Oncology Project Management at Wyeth, including leading the development of bosutinib (Bosulif) from preclinical phase to submission. Dr. Bruce began his career as a scientist at Cambridge Discovery Chemistry, which was acquired by Millennium Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Bruce received his B.A. in chemistry from Williams College and Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Stanford University.

About CRISPR Therapeutics

CRISPR Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company created to translate CRISPR-Cas9, a breakthrough gene-editing technology, into transformative medicines for serious human diseases. We have undertaken translational development programs in several important disease areas with our collaborators in Europe and the U.S. and we maintain operations in Basel, Switzerland, Stevenage, UK and Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Our vision is to cure serious human diseases at the molecular level using CRISPR-Cas9. www.crisprtx.com

MEDIA CONTACTS:
MacDougall Biomedical Communications
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