Bone Therapeutics strengthens Board with the appointments of Steve Swinson and Damian Marron as Non-Executive Directors
Senior executives with international experience in orthopaedics and cell therapy
Gosselies, Belgium, 29 May 2017, 7am CEST - BONE THERAPEUTICS (Euronext Brussels and Paris: BOTHE), the bone cell therapy company addressing high unmet medical needs in orthopaedics and bone diseases, today announces the appointment of Steve Swinson and Damian Marron to its Board of Directors as Non-Executive Directors.
The appointments of Steve Swinson and Damian Marron, effective 26 May 2017, complement an already strong Board of Bone Therapeutics bringing in specific public company, orthopaedic and cell therapy understanding and expertise and will provide ongoing support to the leadership team. Steve Swinson and Damian Marron will replace Jacques Reymann and Jean-Jacques Verdickt.
Steve Swinson has served in a number of senior roles in orthopaedic medical technology and electronics companies, including general management, senior strategy, sales, marketing and commercial operation positions at Medtronic International, a global leader in medical technology. At Medtronic, he led the Spine and Biologics division for Canada and Western Europe, and was Vice President and General Manager for the international spine divison with substantial revenue responsibility. In a 30 year international business career covering Asia, US, Europe and Africa, he has also held senior positions at the diagnostic and medical departments of the blue chip engineering multinationals, General Electric and Hewlett Packard. Steve has a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Manchester and a MBA from the University of Chicago.
Damian Marron is an experienced life sciences executive with a successful track record of value creation through public and venture capital financing, portfolio planning and turnaround, M&A, licensing agreements and research and marketing collaborations. He has particular competencies in cell therapy, immuno-oncology and orphan diseases. Damian served most recently as Chief Executive Officer of Agalimmune and has also served as Chief Executive Officer of TxCell, a France-based specialist in personalised T-cell immunotherapies, where he led the Company's IPO on Euronext Paris. As Chief Executive Officer of Trophos, France, he helped raise EUR 34 million in financing and positioned the company for a subsequent acquisition by Roche for EUR 700 million. Damian also served as Executive Vice President, Corporate Development, for NiCox, where he supported the CEO in financing rounds raising over EUR 175 million.
Michel Helbig de Balzac, Chairman of Bone Therapeutics, commented: "We are delighted to welcome Steve and Damian to the Board of Bone Therapeutics. Their collective track record in leadership and value creation in the healthcare sector and their industry knowledge and expertise in orthopaedic medical technology and cell therapy respectively will be a major asset to the Company. They will be a valuable sounding board to the leadership team as it focuses on advancing our innovative allogeneic cell therapy platform towards commercialization. We would like to thank Jacques Reymann and Jean-Jacques Verdickt for their many years of dedication to Bone Therapeutics and wish them the best in their well-deserved retirement."
Commenting on his appointment, Steve Swinson said : "Bone Therapeutics leads the field in regenerative approaches to orthopaedics and bone diseases, and its allogeneic cell therapy platform has the potential to transform medicine in these areas. I'm delighted to have the opportunity to use my deep experience in orthopaedic medical technology to help support this Company as it advances its technology towards commercialization."
Damian Marron added: "I am very excited to be joining Bone Therapeutics. I look forward to bringing my experience in strategic development and my expertise in cell therapy to support the Company as it approaches key value inflection points with its innovative allogeneic cell therapy platform."
About Bone Therapeutics
Bone Therapeutics is a leading cell therapy company addressing high unmet needs in orthopaedics and bone diseases. Based in Gosselies, Belgium, the Company has a broad, diversified portfolio of bone cell therapy products in clinical development across a number of disease areas targeting markets with large unmet medical needs and limited innovation.
Our technology is based on a unique, proprietary approach to bone regeneration which turns undifferentiated stem cells into "osteoblastic", or bone-forming cells. These cells can be administered via a minimally invasive procedure, avoiding the need for invasive surgery.
Our primary clinical focus is ALLOB ® , an allogeneic "off-the-shelf" cell therapy product derived from stem cells of healthy donors, which is in Phase II studies for the treatment of delayed-union fractures and spinal fusion. The Company also has an autologous bone cell therapy product, PREOB ® , obtained from patient`s own bone marrow and currently in Phase III development for osteonecrosis and non-union fractures.
Bone Therapeutics` cell therapy products are manufactured to the highest GMP standards and are protected by a rich IP estate covering nine patent families. Further information is available at: www.bonetherapeutics.com .
Certain statements, beliefs and opinions in this press release are forward-looking, which reflect the Company or, as appropriate, the Company directors` current expectations and projections about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. A multitude of factors including, but not limited to, changes in demand, competition and technology, can cause actual events, performance or results to differ significantly from any anticipated development. Forward looking statements contained in this press release regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. As a result, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any update or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release as a result of any change in expectations or any change in events, conditions, assumptions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based. Neither the Company nor its advisers or representatives nor any of its subsidiary undertakings or any such person`s officers or employees guarantees that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does either accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or the actual occurrence of the forecasted developments. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.
Contacts
Bone Therapeutics SA Thomas Lienard, Chief Executive Officer Wim Goemaere, Chief Financial Officer Tel: +32 (0)2 529 59 90 investorrelations@bonetherapeutics.com
For Belgium and International Media Enquiries: Consilium Strategic Communications Amber Fennell, Jessica Hodgson and Hendrik Thys Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5701 bonetherapeutics@consilium-comms.com
For French Media and Investor Enquiries: NewCap Investor Relations & Financial Communications Pierre Laurent, Louis-Victor Delouvrier and Nicolas Merigeau Tel: + 33 (0)1 44 71 94 94 bone@newcap.eu
