WATERTOWN, Mass., June 20, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Selecta Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: SELB), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on unlocking the full potential of biologic therapies based on its immune tolerance platform technology, ImmTOR, today announced the appointment of Scott D. Myers to its Board of Directors. Mr. Myers has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Rainier Therapeutics.

“Scott is an accomplished and strategic leader in our industry, and we are delighted to welcome him to our board of directors,” said Carsten Brunn, CEO of Selecta Biosciences. “We look forward to benefiting from his product development and commercial experience as we advance our lead program, SEL-212 for the treatment of chronic refractory gout, and as we continue to explore our ImmTOR technology in gene therapy, where unlocking the potential for redosing of AAV is critical for the field.”

Mr. Myers currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Rainier Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on metastatic bladder cancer. Prior to joining Rainer in 2018, he served as Chief Executive Officer, President and Director of Cascadian Therapeutics, Inc. (CASC), which was acquired by Seattle Genetics in March of 2018. From 2011 to 2015, Mr. Myers was Chief Executive Officer of Aerocrine AB (AERO), a medical device company, which was acquired by Circassia Pharmaceuticals in 2015. Earlier, he was an independent director of Orexo AB from 2012 to 2014. Prior, Mr. Myers served as vice president, head of European mid markets at UCB Pharma, He was responsible for all commercial operations for 32 countries. Earlier, he was chief commercial officer of DOV Pharmaceuticals (DOVP), where he was responsible for out licensing and launch planning. Prior, Mr. Myers was senior vice president and general manager at Johnson & Johnson from 2000-2005, where he oversaw the U.S. commercial operations for CNS and pediatric brands. Earlier, he was a co-founder and senior vice president of ISO Healthcare Group, where he closed multi-million dollar global engagements. Mr. Myers currently is a member of the Board of Directors and a member of the Audit Committee at Harpoon Therapeutics (Nasdaq: HARP) and serves as a Healthcare Sector Advisor to the Chief Investment Officer at Vulcan Capital. He received his M.B.A. in finance and international business from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and his B.A. in biology and biological sciences from Northwestern University.

“This is an exciting time to be joining Selecta’s Board of Directors,” stated Mr. Myers. “With the potential of ImmTOR to enable redosing for biologic therapies, like SEL-212 and gene therapies, the company can potentially provide therapies in new areas of unmet need and achieve new levels of efficacy for patients with rare and serious diseases.”

About Selecta Biosciences, Inc.

Selecta Biosciences, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on unlocking the full potential of biologic therapies based on its immune tolerance technology (ImmTOR) platform. Selecta plans to combine ImmTOR with a range of biologic therapies for rare and serious diseases that require new treatment options due to high immunogenicity. The company’s current proprietary pipeline includes ImmTOR-powered therapeutic enzyme and gene therapy product candidates. SEL-212, the company’s lead product candidate, is being developed to treat chronic refractory gout patients and resolve their debilitating symptoms, including flares and gouty arthritis. Selecta’s proprietary gene therapy product candidates are in preclinical development for certain rare inborn errors of metabolism and incorporate ImmTOR with the goal of addressing barriers to repeat administration. Selecta is based in Watertown, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit http://selectabio.com.