CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 21, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Epizyme, Inc. (NASDAQ: EPZM ), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company creating novel epigenetic therapies, today announced that President of Research and Chief Scientific Officer, Robert A. Copeland, Ph.D., has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society. Fellows are elected by the association’s membership in recognition of their efforts toward advancing science applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished. Dr. Copeland will be recognized at a ceremony on February 18 at the 2017 AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston, Mass.
“I am honored to be recognized by AAAS and join the ranks of such an accomplished group of scientists,” said Robert A. Copeland, Ph.D. “I am extremely fortunate to have worked with many talented researchers and colleagues in my years at Epizyme who have contributed greatly to the work recognized by AAAS and I look forward to our continued leadership in the field.”
Dr. Copeland was chosen by the Section on Biological Sciences for his insights contributing to small molecule therapeutics and the discovery that a heterozygous enzymatic activity between a wild-type and mutant enzyme contributes to oncogenesis. During his career, he has contributed to drug discovery and development efforts across a wide range of therapeutic areas leading to three approved drugs and nearly 20 candidates entering human clinical trials, has contributed more than 200 publications in the scientific literature, holds 13 issued U.S. patents and has authored 5 books in the areas of protein science and enzymology. Under Dr. Copeland’s leadership, Epizyme discovered a number of novel epigenetic targets and developed three first-of-their-kind potential new medicines that have advanced into the clinic, including tazemetostat, an EZH2 inhibitor being evaluated across multiple cancer indications.
“Bob’s achievements have contributed greatly to the scientific community’s understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms driving cancer development,” said Robert Bazemore, President and CEO, Epizyme. “His insights and leadership have helped Epizyme pioneer the field of epigenetics and the discovery and development of tazemetostat, the most advanced EZH2 inhibitor in the clinic today.”
The full list of awardees may be found in the November 25 issue of the journal, Science .
About Epizyme, Inc. Epizyme, Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company creating novel epigenetic therapeutics for cancer patients. Epizyme has built a proprietary product platform that the Company uses to create small molecule inhibitors of a 96-member class of enzymes known as histone methyltransferases, or HMTs. HMTs are part of the system of gene regulation, referred to as epigenetics, that controls gene expression. Genetic alterations can result in changes to the activity of HMTs, making them oncogenic (cancer-causing). By focusing on the genetic drivers of cancers, Epizyme's targeted science seeks to match the right medicines with the right patients. For more information, visit www.epizyme.com .
About AAAS The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science ( www.sciencemag.org ) as well as Science Translational Medicine , Science Signaling , a digital, open-access journal, Science Advances , Science Immunology, and Science Robotics . AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes nearly 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world. The non-profit AAAS ( www.aaas.org ) is open to all and fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement, and more. For the latest research news, log onto EurekAlert! ( www.eurekalert.org ), the premier science-news Web site, a service of AAAS. See www.aaas.org .
Epizyme Contact: Julie DiCarlo, (617) 306-5823 jdicarlo@epizyme.com
