CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 14, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Omega Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: OMGA), a biotechnology company pioneering the development of a new class of programmable epigenomic mRNA medicines, today announced the addition of Jennifer Nelson, Ph.D., to the Company’s executive leadership team in the role of Senior Vice President of Research. She brings over 20 years of experience working with RNA- and DNA-based therapies and technologies, and extensive expertise as a leader in building novel platforms.
“Jennifer has an impressive background as a scientist, platform strategist and biopharma leader, with a successful track record of fostering innovation in the field of RNA biology,” said Mahesh Karande, President and Chief Executive Officer of Omega Therapeutics. “As we continue to advance the OMEGA platform and pursue high-value strategic partnerships for our programmable epigenomic mRNA therapeutics, we believe her expertise across bio-platform development and her passion for the advancement of mRNA-based therapeutics will be invaluable to our team. I’m delighted to welcome Jennifer and I look forward to partnering with her.”
Dr. Nelson added, “Omega’s epigenomic controllers have significant potential to address a broad range of diseases, from cancer to obesity. The clinical proof of platform achieved to date underscores the progress the management team has made to advance precision epigenomic control. I am thrilled to build on this success and help realize the full potential of this approach to bring a new class of programmable mRNA medicines to patients.”
Prior to joining Omega, Dr. Nelson served as Vice President of Research at Flagship Pioneering, where she helped launch and develop bio-platform companies, including oversight of platform-related strategy and research. Previously, she served as Head of Vaccines at Laronde, having formerly led Platform Research, and played pivotal roles throughout her tenure advancing the company’s preclinical development, manufacturing capabilities and portfolio and IP strategy. Earlier in her career, Dr. Nelson held management positions of increasing responsibility at Moderna Therapeutics, culminating in a leading role advancing novel approaches to leveraging mRNA for therapeutic purposes. Dr. Nelson began her industry career at Archemix Therapeutics and later worked at GSK prior to joining Moderna.
Dr. Nelson is an author on numerous articles and patents focused on various nucleic acid technologies, including mRNA, circular RNA, ribozymes and aptamers. She received a Ph.D. in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Colorado Boulder, a Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies, field: Management from Harvard University, and a B.A. from Northwestern University.
Thomas McCauley, Ph.D., who served as Chief Scientific Officer since 2019, will leave the company to pursue a new opportunity. “On behalf of the entire team, I would like to express our sincere appreciation for Tom’s contributions and service to Omega,” said Mr. Karande. “Tom was a great partner in helping to shape and advance our pioneering science and novel platform technology and we wish him well with his future endeavors.”
About Omega Therapeutics
Omega Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of a new class of programmable epigenomic mRNA medicines to treat or cure a broad range of diseases. By pre-transcriptionally modulating gene expression, Omega’s approach enables precision epigenomic control of nearly all human genes, including historically undruggable and difficult-to-treat targets, without altering native nucleic acid sequences. Founded in 2017 by Flagship Pioneering following breakthrough research by world-renowned experts in the field of epigenetics, Omega is led by a seasoned and accomplished leadership team with a track record of innovation and operational excellence. The Company is committed to revolutionizing genomic medicine and has a pipeline of therapeutic candidates derived from its OMEGA platform spanning oncology, regenerative medicine, and multigenic diseases including inflammatory and cardiometabolic conditions.
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