NATICK, Mass., April 10, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: KPTI ), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel first-in-class drugs directed against nuclear transport targets for the treatment of cancer and other major diseases, today announced the appointment of Christopher B. Primiano as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary.
"Chris is a natural fit to join our organization in an executive role. His legal background and training coupled with his business experience make him the ideal addition to our management team as we take our company forward," said Dr. Michael Kauffman, CEO of Karyopharm. "I'm pleased to announce his appointment as I'm confident that Chris will have continued success in this role."
With this position, Mr. Primiano joins an accomplished management team. He will provide strategic advice to Karyopharm's executive leadership and board of directors as he leads the internal and external legal teams that support Karyopharm's corporate, clinical, regulatory and intellectual property functions.
Prior to joining Karyopharm, Mr. Primiano was a Counsel in the Boston office of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP. He had previously served as Vice President, Corporate Development, General Counsel and Secretary at GlassHouse Technologies, Inc., an IT consulting company based in greater Boston. Mr. Primiano started his career with Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian LLP.
Mr. Primiano holds a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School, a Master of Business Administration from the Boston College Carroll School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy and English from Georgetown University. He is a member of the bars of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State of New York.
About Karyopharm
Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: KPTI ) is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel first-in-class drugs directed against nuclear transport targets for the treatment of cancer and other major diseases. Karyopharm's Selective Inhibitors of Nuclear Export (SINE) compounds function by binding with and inhibiting the nuclear export protein XPO1 (or CRM1). The inhibition of XPO1 by Karyopharm's lead drug candidate, Selinexor (KPT-330), a first-in-class, oral SINE compound, leads to the accumulation of tumor suppressor proteins in the cell nucleus, which subsequently reinitiates and amplifies their tumor suppressor function. This is believed to lead to the selective induction of apoptosis in cancer cells, while largely sparing normal cells. SINE compounds have shown biological activity in models of cancer, autoimmune disease, certain viruses, and wound-healing. Karyopharm was founded by Dr. Sharon Shacham and is located in Natick, Massachusetts.
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