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Beam Therapeutics Appoints Amy Simon, M.D., Chief Medical Officer
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Beam Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: BEAM), a biotechnology company developing precision genetic medicines
About this update from Beam Therapeutics Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Beam Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: BEAM), a biotechnology company developing precision genetic medicines through base editing, today announced that drug development expert Amy Simon, M.D., has been appointed as the company’s chief medical officer. Dr. Simon brings more than 20 years of clinical experience to Beam, serving in roles as a physician-scientist in academia and the biotechnology industry. “Amy is a dedicated physician and experienced drug developer who has worked across a wide range of disease areas, delivering innovative genetic medicines into the clinic and through approval,” said John Evans, chief executive officer of Beam. “We have made significant progress advancing our lead base editing programs through research, preclinical and now IND-enabling studies, with our first IND application for our lead candidate, BEAM-101 slated for the second half of this year. Amy’s translational and clinical development expertise will be invaluable as we prepare for our next phase as a clinical-stage company. We are thrilled to welcome her to the Beam team.” “Beam is built on an inspiring vision of bringing life-changing medicines to patients, and I couldn’t be more excited to join this talented team,” said Dr. Simon. “We have a unique opportunity to advance a broad portfolio of potentially one-time, disease-altering programs using base editing technology and a precision medicine approach supported by clear human genetics. I believe 2021 will be a transformative year for Beam as we leverage our strong research organization and further build out our clinical development organization. I look forward to partnering with the entire team to help bring new therapeutic options to patients suffering from serious diseases.” Dr. Simon joins Beam from Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, where she spent over a decade in various roles with increasing responsibility for the clinical development of RNAi-based medicines, most recently serving as vice president, clinical development. During her tenure at Alnylam, she led the successful execution of clinical programs from natural history studies to Phase 1 through Phase 4 studies, regulatory interactions with both U.S. and ex-U.S. authorities, and drug approvals in the U.S. and EU. Dr. Simon was the lead clinician developing GIVLAARI® (givosiran) for patients wi...