WATERTOWN, Mass., Sept. 27, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Selecta Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: SELB), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on unlocking the full potential of biologic therapies by mitigating unwanted immune responses, announced today that Carsten Brunn, Ph.D., has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Selecta Biosciences, effective December 1, 2018. He will also serve on the company’s Board of Directors. Current President and CEO, Werner Cautreels, Ph.D., will continue to lead the company until December, will assist Dr. Brunn during the transition and will remain a member of the Board through December 31, 2018. Dr. Cautreels is expected to serve as an advisor to the company following his retirement.

“Carsten brings a wealth of experience from a successful career as a global leader in the life sciences industry and we’re thrilled he is joining Selecta. His exceptional track record and expertise will be invaluable as the company enters its next stage of growth,” said Dr. Omid Farokhzad, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “I want to thank Werner for his leadership and vision over the past eight years putting the company on its current growth trajectory with a robust pipeline of product candidates. We look forward to his continued contributions as a member of our Board of Directors through the end of the year and as an advisor after his retirement.”

“I look forward to joining the leadership team at Selecta and helping to advance and expand the company’s platform of proprietary SVP-enabled enzyme, oncology and gene therapeutic candidates. This year’s planned start of the Phase 3 trial for the lead program, SEL-212, for the treatment of severe gout patients is very exciting and in addition, the advancements the company is making in the fields of oncology and gene therapy is extremely promising,” said Dr. Brunn. “Selecta has grown tremendously under the leadership of a strong management team and I am excited to be joining the organization at such an important time and maximizing the potential of the platform.”

Dr. Brunn joins Selecta Biosciences from Bayer, where he was most recently the President of Pharmaceuticals for the Americas Region and a member of the Global Pharmaceutical Executive Committee. Prior to being appointed to that role in 2017, he was the President of Bayer Pharmaceuticals in Japan, a role he held since 2013. He also served as the Chairman of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) Japan, an organization representing 24 R&D based innovative pharmaceutical companies in Japan. He has held a number of senior leadership positions at Eli Lilly, Novartis, Basilea and Bausch and Lomb in Europe, Asia and the United States. Dr. Brunn holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Hamburg and a Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Freiburg. He also studied at the University of Washington under a research scholarship and completed his executive education at the London Business School. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO).

About Selecta Biosciences, Inc.

Selecta Biosciences, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that is focused on unlocking the full potential of biologic therapies by mitigating unwanted immune responses. Selecta plans to combine its tolerogenic Synthetic Vaccine Particles (SVP™) to a range of biologics for rare and serious diseases that require new treatment options. The company’s current proprietary pipeline includes SVP-enabled enzyme, oncology and gene therapeutic candidates. SEL-212, the company’s lead candidate in Phase 2, is being developed to treat severe gout patients and resolve their debilitating symptoms, including flares and gouty arthritis. A Phase 1 trial is ongoing for a combination therapeutic candidate consisting of SVP-Rapamycin and LMB-100 (Selecta’s SEL-403 product candidate) for the treatment of patients with malignant pleural or peritoneal mesothelioma. Selecta’s proprietary gene therapy product candidates are being developed for rare inborn errors of metabolism and have the potential to enable repeat administration. The use of SVP also holds potential in the development of vaccines and treatments for allergies and autoimmune diseases. Selecta is based in Watertown, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit http://selectabio.com and follow @SelectaBio on Twitter.