CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Evelo Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:EVLO), a clinical stage biotechnology company developing a new modality of orally delivered product candidates which act in the small intestine to drive systemic effects, today announced the appointment of Jonathan Zung, Ph.D., as Chief Development Officer and a member of the Evelo Executive Team. Dr. Zung is an established industry veteran, who brings more than 25 years of global pharmaceutical development and commercialization experience to Evelo.

“We welcome Jonathan to the Evelo team at this exciting time in the Company’s growth, including recently reporting positive atopic dermatitis and psoriasis data for EPD1815, our lead inflammation program. He has established an exceptional track record over the course of his career advancing drug development programs and building clinical operations globally, across all stages of development, and in an array of therapeutic areas,” said Simba Gill, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Evelo. “Jonathan’s expertise is particularly well-suited for this moment in Evelo’s trajectory, as we advance into later stages of development and expand our portfolio. We look forward to his leadership as we continue to deliver on our mission of providing effective, safe, oral therapies to patients with inflammatory diseases and cancer.”

Dr. Zung joins Evelo from WCG Clinical, where he served as the President of Sponsor and CRO Programs. Prior to WCG Clinical, he served as the Group President of Clinical Development and Commercialization Services at Covance Drug Development, where he led a global organization of over 8,000 employees in 60 countries spanning all phases of development (Phase 1-4), along with global market access services. Dr. Zung has also held leadership roles of increasing responsibility at UCB, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Pfizer.

“This is an exciting time to be joining the Evelo team,” said Dr. Zung. “Over the last year, the Company has reported clinical and preclinical data across their inflammatory disease and cancer programs, which demonstrate the power of SINTAX as a therapeutic target, and the potential to reduce systemic inflammation without systemic exposure. I believe there is tremendous potential in this new modality of medicine and look forward to working with the team to advance the company’s product candidates from ideation to market.”

About Evelo Biosciences
Evelo Biosciences is a clinical stage biotechnology company developing orally delivered product candidates that are designed to act on SINTAX™, the small intestinal axis, with systemic therapeutic effects. SINTAX plays a central role in governing the immune, metabolic, and neurological systems. The company’s first product candidates are pharmaceutical preparations of single strains of microbes selected for the potential to offer defined pharmacological properties. Evelo’s therapies have the potential to be effective, safe, and affordable medicines to improve the lives of people with inflammatory diseases and cancer.

Evelo currently has four product candidates in development: EDP1815, EDP1867, and EDP2939 for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and EDP1908 for the treatment of cancer. Evelo is advancing additional product candidates in other disease areas.

For more information, please visit www.evelobio.com and engage with Evelo on LinkedIn.