CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 29, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Omega Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: OMGA), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of a new class of programmable epigenomic mRNA medicines, today announced that Chris Schade has been appointed as Chairman of the Board, succeeding Noubar Afeyan, Ph.D. In addition, Michelle C. Werner will join Omega’s Board to support the Company’s growth.
“As a Co-founder of Omega and Chairman of its Board since 2017, it has been a privilege to help chart Omega’s journey from concept to platform to start up to clinical-stage public company,” said Dr. Afeyan, CEO of Flagship Pioneering. “As Omega prepares for its next phase of growth, Chris’ exemplary track record in building and scaling companies makes him ideally suited to provide long-term strategic guidance to the company’s strong foundation. I am confident that with Chris’ stewardship, Omega is well positioned to fully realize the potential of precision epigenomic control to deliver an entirely new class of programmable mRNA medicines to patients.”
“On behalf of the entire company, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Noubar for his partnership and dedication to Omega. His visionary guidance, expertise in building pioneering companies and unwavering support as Co-founder and Chairman were instrumental in building the Company to where we are today. I look forward to continuing our relationship as part of the Flagship Pioneering ecosystem,” said Mahesh Karande, President and Chief Executive Officer of Omega Therapeutics. “Furthermore, I am delighted to welcome Chris as our Chairman and Michelle as a new member to our Board of Directors. Chris is a highly accomplished executive whose deep experience, background and knowledge will provide strategic guidance to both our Board and our executive team as we advance our OMEGA platform and pipeline of novel therapeutics. Michelle brings over 20 years of experience spanning both commercial and research and development responsibilities that will be invaluable as we continue to scale the organization.”
Mr. Schade added, “I am thrilled and honored to be Chairman of the Board of Omega at such an exciting time in the Company’s development. With first-in-human clinical data on the horizon and a robust pipeline of promising therapeutic candidates, Omega is poised to harness the potential of epigenetics and create a new class of important therapeutics. Additionally, I am pleased to welcome Michelle to the Board of Directors. Her broad expertise will be a considerable asset to an accomplished Board of Directors as the Company continues to mature.”
Michelle C. Werner is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive with more than 20 years of experience spanning commercial and research & development (R&D) responsibilities. Currently, she serves as the CEO of Alltrna and CEO-Partner at Flagship Pioneering. Prior to her current role, Ms. Werner served as Worldwide Franchise Head, Solid Tumors at Novartis Oncology, where she was responsible for delivering the disease area strategies across multiple tumors and led business development efforts resulting in a doubling of long-term portfolio value for the franchise. Prior to Novartis, she was a senior leader at AstraZeneca in several roles, including Global Franchise Head in Hematology and Head of U.S. Oncology. Ms. Werner previously spent 10 years at Bristol Myers Squibb in various roles in sales, marketing, and market access in both the U.S. and the U.K., and above market in Europe and Global almost exclusively in oncology.
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 diverse pipeline of therapeutic candidates derived from its OMEGA platform spanning oncology, regenerative medicine, multigenic diseases including immunology, and select monogenic diseases.
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