SalioGen Therapeutics Appoints Jason F. Cole as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors

Biotech industry veteran strengthens leadership team with decades of experience

LEXINGTON, Mass., Sept. 11, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SalioGen Therapeutics, a privately held biotechnology company, today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Jason F. Cole, J.D. as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Jason will also serve as Chairman of the Company’s Board of Directors and work closely with the leadership team to refine SalioGen’s corporate strategy and long-term vision as it advances its Gene Coding™ technology toward the clinic.

Jason brings 20 years of experience in the biotechnology field with a track record of delivering multiple first-in-class gene and cell therapies to patients, including ZYNTEGLO^® (beta-thalassemia), SKYSONA^® (cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy), ABECMA^® (CAR-T therapy for relapsed-refractory multiple myeloma), and a BLA for lovo-cel for Sickle Cell Disease. He most recently served as the Chief Business Officer and Chief Strategy and Financial Officer at bluebird bio, Inc. During his tenure at bluebird, he led strategic, financial, operational, and public-facing areas during key growth and transition periods, expanding from 100 to 1,200 employees in the U.S. and Europe. He executed equity financing transactions with gross proceeds of over $3.7 billion and multi-million-dollar oncology strategic partnerships with Celgene/Bristol Myers Squibb, Regeneron and collaborations and licenses with multiple biotech companies and academic institutions.

“The Board of Directors is excited to appoint a leader of Jason’s strategic abilities, talent, and financial acumen as the Company’s CEO,” said Paul B. Manning, interim Chief Executive Officer of SalioGen. “His track-record shows his dedication to those living with serious diseases and his ability to deliver value to shareholders.”

Joseph J. Higgins, MD, SalioGen’s co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer, stated “Jason’s drug development experience, proven leadership, passion, and focus on patients adds a new level of expertise to SalioGen as its ground-breaking Gene Coding technology moves toward the clinic.”

Jason Cole, Chief Executive Officer of SalioGen added, “SalioGen’s novel Gene Coding technology is an exciting new approach to genetic medicines and cell therapies with the potential to transform the therapeutic landscape for patients and families living with inherited disorders and cancer. I look forward to leading the SalioGen team and applying my background and experience in gene and cell therapy to build on the company’s robust scientific foundation and advance our programs to the clinic.”

Prior to bluebird bio, Jason served on the executive leadership teams of Zalicus and CombinatoRx, with responsibility across corporate development, strategic alliances, legal, IT, and facilities. Jason holds a J.D. from Columbia University and an A.B. in Government from Dartmouth College. He currently serves as a Board Member at MassBIO where he advises on public policy and economic development.

About SalioGen Therapeutics

SalioGen Therapeutics has launched Gene Coding, a genetic medicine technology, to develop durable, broadly applicable genetic medicines, using its Exact DNA Integration Technology™ (EDIT) platform. EDIT™ is based on the novel discovery of a mammal-derived genomic bioengineering tool, for use in potentially curative genetic medicines. SalioGen is focused on developing durable, safe, and accessible non-viral genetic medicines for patients with disorders that are beyond what is addressable with current gene therapy technologies.

For more information, please visit www.saliogen.com.

Corporate Contact:
Sean Stalfort
SalioGen Board Member
s.stalfort@saliogen.com

Media Contact:
Veronica Eames
LifeSci Communications
veames@lifescicomms.com