CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Scholar Rock Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: SRRK), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of serious diseases in which protein growth factors play a fundamental role, today announced that Akshay Vaishnaw M.D., Ph.D. has been appointed to Scholar Rock’s Board of Directors, effective May 21, 2019 and that Timothy A. Springer, Ph.D. will transition to a role of scientific advisor to Scholar Rock. Dr. Springer will not be standing for re-election at the Company’s upcoming annual shareholder meeting.

Dr. Vaishnaw has served on Scholar Rock’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) since 2014 and will continue to play an active role on the Company’s SAB. He is a highly accomplished and proven leader in the biopharmaceutical industry with over two decades of experience in building and leading global research and development organizations and executing clinical trials across multiple product candidates and therapeutic areas.

“Akshay’s vast experience in leading successful global research and clinical development programs to regulatory approvals will be a valuable resource to our Board of Directors and management team, especially as we progress the Phase 2 proof-of-concept trial for SRK-015 in Spinal Muscular Atrophy as well as SRK-181 towards a Phase 1 trial in cancer immunotherapy,” said David Hallal, Chairman of the Board of Scholar Rock. “On behalf of Scholar Rock’s management and Board, I would like to welcome Akshay and extend our thanks to Tim for his significant guidance both scientifically and strategically over the years, helping Scholar Rock reach its discovery and clinical accomplishments to date.”

“I am proud that the Scholar Rock team has executed so well on my founding vision that antibodies to TGF? prodomain-growth factor complexes could be therapeutics with greater specificity than previous generations of antibodies to mature growth factors,” said Timothy Springer, PhD. “The team has now exemplified this concept with clinical- and development- stage antibodies to myostatin and TGF?1, respectively and I look forward to Scholar Rock’s continued progress towards bringing transformative therapies to patients. I am excited that Akshay, a talented physician-scientist and experienced executive, will be joining the Board and am delighted to continue my interactions with Scholar Rock as a scientific advisor.”

“I have witnessed the tremendous potential of Scholar Rock’s unique platform over the past few years as part of the SAB and it is an honor to join the Scholar Rock Board during this time of significant momentum,” said Dr. Vaishnaw. “As the Company continues to advance its pipeline across a wide range of therapeutic areas, I look forward to applying my experiences and insights to help bring these product candidates through development with the goal of meaningfully improving the lives of patients.”

Dr. Vaishnaw joined Alnylam Pharmaceuticals in 2006 and currently serves as President, Research and Development. Prior to Alnylam, he held various positions of increasing responsibility in clinical research. Dr. Vaishnaw received a B.S. from University College Cardiff, U.K., an M.D. from the University of Wales College of Medicine, U.K., and a Ph.D. in molecular immunology from the University of London, U.K. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, U.K. Dr. Vaishnaw also serves on the Board of Directors for Editas Medicine, Inc.

About Scholar Rock

Scholar Rock is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative medicines for the treatment of serious diseases in which signaling by protein growth factors plays a fundamental role. Scholar Rock is creating a pipeline of novel product candidates with the potential to transform the lives of patients suffering from a wide range of serious diseases, including neuromuscular disorders, cancer, fibrosis and anemia. Scholar Rock’s newly elucidated understanding of the molecular mechanisms of growth factor activation enabled it to develop a proprietary platform for the discovery and development of monoclonal antibodies that locally and selectively target these signaling proteins at the cellular level. By developing product candidates that act in the disease microenvironment, the Company intends to avoid the historical challenges associated with inhibiting growth factors for therapeutic effect. Scholar Rock believes its focus on biologically validated growth factors may facilitate a more efficient development path. For more information, please visit www.ScholarRock.com