STRASBOURG, France, February 17, 1998 — TRANSGENE S.A. today announced that Dr. Paul Berg and Mr. G. Steven Burrill have joined the company's board as directors."We are naturally pleased and proud that Dr. Paul Berg and Mr. G. Steven Burrill are joining our board said Bernard Gilly, President and Chief Executive Officer of TRANSGENE. Being able to benefit from their outstanding experience in science and industry is very important for us, as our research and development programs are gathering momentum and we are looking to continue expansion of our international business relationships."
Dr. Paul Berg is currently the Cahill Professor in Cancer Research in the Department of Biochemistry at Stanford University and Director of the Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Research at the Stanford University School of Medicine. In 1980, Dr. Berg received the Albert Lasker Medical Research Award and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his studies of the biochemistry of nucleic acids, with a specific emphasis on recombinant DNA. In addition to his position as Director, Dr. Berg will also participate in meetings of TRANSGENE's Scientific Board.
Mr. G. Steven Burrill is Chief Executive Officer of Burrill & Company, a private merchant bank specializing on life science companies. Pior to founding Burrill & Company, Mr. Burrill spent 28 years at Ernst & Young, where he was International Chairman of their biotechnology and high technology group. He works with industry leaders around the world helping life science companies sustain their growth. He serves on the Board of Directors of a number of biotechnology companies as well as several scientific and biotechnology companies in the US and in Europe. In addition to his position as Director, Mr Burrill will chair the Audit Committee of TRANSGENE's Board.
Commenting on the announcement, Dr. Paul Berg said: I look forward to contributing to TRANSGENE's development. The company is making good progress in improving its technology platform for early clinical testing.
"Gene therapy is a rapidly evolving field, with great potential as it aims to correct the underlying genetic defects causing disease. As such, gene therapy has the potential to be applied to many diseases where conventional medicine has failed" added Mr. Burrill.
The Board of Directors of TRANSGENE has been chaired by Alain Mérieux since 1991. Mr. Mérieux is also the founder and Chairman of bioMérieux, one of the top ten in vitro diagnostic companies.
TRANSGENE, based in Strasbourg, France, is an integrated biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery and development of gene therapy technologies and products for the treatment of acquired or inherited diseases for which there is no cure or adequate therapy at present. Its proprietary technology platform includes adenoviral, vaccinia viral, retroviral, cellular and a range of synthetic vectors for gene delivery. Three of these vector families are currently in clinical development for several disease applications. TRANSGENE expects its programs against melanoma and breast cancer to begin Phase II clinical trials in the first quarter of 1998. Additional disease targets for TRANSGENE's gene therapy delivery systems include cystic fibrosis (Phase I completed), muscular dystrophy and cardiovascular diseases.
Source: Transgène
