SAN DIEGO, June 9, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Celladon Corporation (Nasdaq:CLDN), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel therapies by applying its leadership position in the field of SERCA enzymes, today announced it has appointed Elizabeth E. Reed as Vice President and General Counsel.
Ms. Reed has more than 15 years of legal and biopharmaceutical industry experience. From 2001 until 2012, Ms. Reed led the legal function at Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, most recently serving as Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary until Anadys' acquisition by Roche. Prior to Anadys, Ms. Reed was an attorney with the law firms Cooley LLP and Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP. Ms. Reed is a member of the State Bar of California and received a B.S. in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
"Elizabeth brings a deep legal background in the biotech industry. Her leadership and guidance in this newly created role will greatly support Celladon's advancement of the MYDICAR program towards commercialization," said Krisztina Zsebo, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Celladon.
Added Ms. Reed, "I am very pleased to be joining the Celladon team at this exciting time for the Company. Celladon has a strong history of execution and I now look forward to contributing to the future progression of the Company."
About Celladon
Celladon is a clinical-stage biotechnology company applying its leadership position in the field of calcium dysregulation by targeting SERCA enzymes to develop novel therapies for diseases with tremendous unmet medical needs. SERCA, enzymes are a family of enzymes that play an integral part in the regulation of intra-cellular calcium in all human cells. Calcium dysregulation is implicated in a number of important and complex medical conditions and diseases, such as heart failure, vascular disease, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases. Celladon's therapeutic portfolio for diseases characterized by SERCA enzyme deficiency includes both gene therapies and small molecule compounds. MYDICAR, the Company's most advanced product candidate, uses gene therapy to target SERCA2a, which is an enzyme that becomes deficient in patients with heart failure. In addition, Celladon has identified a number of potential first-in-class compounds addressing novel targets in diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases with its small molecule platform of SERCA2b modulators. For more information, please visit www.celladon.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Celladon's plans to research, develop and commercialize product candidates. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon Celladon's current expectations and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, which include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with the process of conducting product development activities and clinical trials and obtaining regulatory approval to commercialize product candidates, our reliance on third parties, the need to raise additional funding when needed in order to conduct our business, and the degree of market acceptance of MYDICAR by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in Celladon's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including without limitation its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2014. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Celladon undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.