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Constellation Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Appoints Mark A. Goldsmith, M.D., Ph.D. as CEO and
Closes $17 Million in Funding
-Company Leading Emerging Field of Epigenetics-
CAMBRIDGE, MA – August 13, 2009
– Constellation
Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leading biopharmaceutical
company focused on discovering and developing new drugs
targeting epigenetic regulation of the human genome,
today announced that it has appointed Mark A. Goldsmith,
M.D., Ph.D., as Chief Executive Officer and Director of
the company. Additionally, the company closed $17.2
million in financing.
Dr.
Goldsmith has held senior positions in academia and the
biotechnology industry. Until recently he was Senior
Executive-in-Residence at Prospect Venture Partners, a
leading healthcare venture capital firm. Previously he
served as cofounder and CEO of Cogentus Pharmaceuticals,
Inc. and Senior Vice President of Genencor
International, overseeing the company’s health care
division. Prior to entering the private sector, Dr.
Goldsmith spent a decade on the faculty of the School of
Medicine of the University of California, San Francisco
and San Francisco General Hospital, served as Assistant
Director of the Gladstone Institute of Virology and
Immunology. He earned his M.D. and Ph.D. in Microbiology
and Immunology from the University of California, San
Francisco.
“Constellation has made great progress building a
powerful product engine and outstanding team, and we’re
very excited to bring an accomplished
physician-scientist with executive leadership experience
to the helm at this stage,” said Mark Levin, Chairman of
the Board of the company. “Mark Goldsmith’s
accomplishments in basic science, clinical medicine and
corporate development make him ideally suited to lead
the company’s next phase of translating our exciting
research into new high-impact therapies for patients.”
Constellation’s product development plans are bolstered
by an additional $17.2 million that was raised pursuant
to the third tranche of its $32 million Series A
financing from Third Rock Ventures, The Column Group,
Venrock, and Altitude Life Science Ventures. Proceeds
from the financing will be used to enhance the Company’s
R&D capabilities and to accelerate the development of
its preclinical pipeline.
“With its
world-class founders, organization and investors,
Constellation is emerging as the leading drug discovery
player and corporate partner in the exciting field of
Epigenetics and chromatin biology, “said Dr. Goldsmith.
“We have the technology and scientific and clinical
insights to enable us to advance a portfolio of product
leads toward clinical assessment, initially with
application in areas of unmet medical need in oncology.
The Constellation team has built an impressive company
and I am very pleased to have the opportunity to help
fulfill its compelling medical vision and value creation
strategy.”
About Constellation Pharmaceuticals
Constellation Pharmaceuticals is the first
biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development
of novel therapeutics in the emerging field of
Epigenetics, a new field of science that focuses on
selective regulators of gene function and expression.
Constellation’s initial focus is in oncology, and the
Company’s platform will also be applicable to other
therapeutic areas including autoimmune, inflammatory and
neurological diseases. The Company’s academic founders
represent the core thought leaders in epigenetics
responsible for key advances, insights and discoveries
in the field. Constellation Pharmaceuticals is located
in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information,
please visit the company's website at
www.constellationpharma.com.
Constellation Pharmaceuticals was founded by three of
the foremost authorities and leaders within the field of
Epigenetics: Danny Reinberg, Ph.D, Professor of
Biochemistry at the New York University School of
Medicine and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes
Institute; Yang Shi, Ph.D., Professor of Pathology at
the Harvard Medical School and David Allis, Ph.D.,
Professor and Head of the Laboratory of Chromatin
Biology at The Rockefeller University.
Constellation’s Board of Directors include: Anthony
Evnin, Ph.D, Partner, Venrock; David Goeddel, Ph.D.,
Partner, The Column Group; Mark Levin, Partner, Third
Rock Ventures; Tom Maniatis, Ph.D., Professor, Harvard
University; Bob Tepper, M.D., Partner, Third Rock
Ventures;and Mark A. Goldsmith, M.D., Ph.D., CEO,
Constellation Pharmaceuticals.
Also
supporting the Company’s efforts is a Scientific
Advisory Board featuring some of the most renowned
scientific experts within the field of Epigenetics and
oncology, including; Richard Klausner, M.D., Managing
Partner, The Column Group and former Director of the
National Cancer Institute; Arnold Levine, Ph.D.,
Professor, Institute of Advanced Study; David
Livingston, M.D., Deputy Director, Dana Farber/Harvard
Cancer Institute; Julian Adams, Ph.D., Chief Scientific
Officer, Infinity Pharmaceuticals; Xiaodong Cheng,
Ph.D., Professor, Emory University; Steven J. Gamblin,
Ph.D., Professor, National Institute for Medical
Research/Medical Research Council (MRC); Thomas Jenuwein,
Ph.D., Director, Max Planck Institute; Arul Chinnaiyan,
M.D., Ph.D, Professor, University of Michigan Medical
School; and Scott Lowe, Ph.D., Professor, Cold Spring
Harbor Laboratory.
About Epigenetics
Epigenetics is an exciting new field of biology that
involves chemical modifications of both DNA and of its
packaging proteins (“chromatin”), which are collectively
called the ‘epigenome.’ The genome, or DNA, is the
“blueprint” for the human body, consisting of thousands
of genes, which are the fundamental units of information
necessary for normal cell growth and development. The
epigenome plays a critical role in regulating the
expression of genes, that is, switching genes on or off
– or in the case of disease, for switching genes on or
off incorrectly. This new field of Epigenetic science
provides the opportunity to create a broad new class of
human therapeutics targeting selective regulators of
epigenetic function.
Contact
Kathryn Morris
Yates Public Relations
845-635-9828
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