NATICK, Mass., June 13, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc., a leader in the new field of nuclear transport modulators, today announced that Paul Brannelly has joined the company as Senior Vice President, Finance and Administration. Mr. Brannelly brings over 13 years of experience in senior management roles leading growth-oriented biopharmaceutical companies through private and public financings, mergers and acquisitions and general financial operations. In this role at Karyopharm, Mr. Brannelly will be responsible for leading and managing all of the company's finance activities and will be a member of the management team.

"Paul has been instrumental in his past roles in leading companies through critical periods of growth and development. We feel confident that his impressive track record of leadership will be a key addition to our team as we look to build our organization and progress into late-stage clinical trials," said Michael Kauffman, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Karyopharm. "We are delighted to welcome him to the Karyopharm team."

Prior to joining Karyopharm, Mr. Brannelly served as Vice President of Finance at Verastem, Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, where he led the company through the initial public offering process and managed several successful financings. Prior to that, he served as Vice President, Finance and Principal Financial Officer at Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company that GlaxoSmithKline purchased for $720 million. He also held the position of Chief Financial Officer at the Longwood Fund, a venture capital firm aimed at investing in, and managing and building healthcare companies. Mr. Brannelly started his biopharmaceutical career at Dyax Corporation in 1999 and subsequently moved on to positions of increasing responsibility at CombinatoRx and Sirtris, where he managed the S-1 preparation and due diligence process for the initial public offerings. Mr. Brannelly holds a Bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. 

"The Karyopharm management team has a notable history in novel drug discovery and development. I am honored to be joining the team as we strive to make the compelling SINE platform a therapeutic reality for cancer patients," commented Mr. Brannelly. "I am very excited to join the team and to help propel the company forward as a leader in the oncology space."

About Karyopharm

Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc. is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company leading the new field of nuclear transport modulators. Karyopharm's selective inhibitors of nuclear export (SINE) function by trapping multiple tumor suppressor proteins in the nucleus, resulting in anti-cancer activity across multiple tumor types. Karyopharm's lead oral SINE, selinexor (KPT-330), is in two Phase 1 clinical studies for advanced solid tumor and hematologic malignancies. The related oral SINE, verdinexor (KPT-335), is being tested in a pivotal study as an oral treatment for dogs with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, one of the most common canine cancers. The Company is also testing SINEs in autoimmune, viral and dermatologic disorders. Karyopharm Therapeutics was founded by Drs. Sharon Shacham and Michael Kauffman and is located in Natick, Massachusetts.