Selecta Biosciences Appoints Dr. Goran Ando to its Board of Directors

Global pharmaceutical and biotech industry veteran brings significant clinical expertise and business acumen to help advance the Company’s immune tolerance platform

WATERTOWN, Mass., April 28, 2020 (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, ImmTOR, today announced the appointment of Dr. Goran Ando to its Board of Directors, replacing Amir Nashat, effective April 24, 2020. Amir will continue to serve in an advisory capacity to Selecta.

“The addition of Dr. Ando to our Board means that Selecta now has another proven leader with a successful track record in product development and commercialization,” said Carrie S. Cox, Chairman of the Board, Selecta Biosciences. “This addition to our team puts us in a position of strength for the next evolution of ImmTOR – initiating the Phase 3 clinical trial of SEL-212, bringing our gene therapy program into the clinic, and applying the platform in other areas of significant unmet need. I would also like to recognize Amir Nashat for his long-term commitment to our organization and the important role he played in advancing Selecta’s scientific platform. From an early stage, Amir recognized the potential of ImmTOR for patients with serious diseases, and I want to thank him for helping put Selecta in the position it is in today.”

“The opportunity to work alongside the Selecta team to advance the ImmTOR platform is of undeniable interest to me,” said Dr. Ando. “The ability to re-dose patients with AAV gene therapy may be pivotal in improving outcomes, while Selecta’s late-stage asset in chronic refractory gout could provide patients with this debilitating disease a much-needed alternative. I look forward to being part of the effort to increase the applicability of the ImmTOR platform for the benefit of patients.”

Dr. Ando brings more than 37 years of experience as a respected global pharmaceutical leader. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Board for Eyepoint Pharma, and holds seats on the Boards of Parexel, Tessa Therapeutics, and EUSA Pharma. He is also the retired Chairman of the Board of Novo Nordisk A/S. Dr. Ando began his pharmaceutical industry career as Medical Director of Pfizer AB, progressing to Director, Clinical Research with Pfizer International in the U.S. He went on to hold various senior positions at leading global healthcare and pharmaceutical businesses, including Bristol-Myers Squibb and GlaxoSmithKline. He was the VP, Medical and Scientific Affairs at Bristol-Myers Squibb before taking the role of President of the Astra Research Centre in Sweden. In 1989, Dr. Ando joined GlaxoSmithKline, where he held various senior appointments, including Research & Development Director for Glaxo Group Research. He later joined Pharmacia AB as Executive Vice President, and ascended to Deputy CEO in 1995, moving to the U.S. in 1997 to lead R&D with additional responsibilities for manufacturing, information technology, business development and M&A. During his eight-year tenure as Head of R&D at Pharmacia/Pharmacia & Upjohn, 17 new drugs were approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration prior to Pharmacia’s acquisition by Pfizer for $60 billion. He then served as the Chief Executive Officer of Cell Tech Group PLC, one of the most successful European biotech companies, until it was acquired by UCB Pharma for $3 billion in 2005. He has been a Senior Adviser to leading specialist healthcare investment group Essex Woodlands since 2007. Dr. Ando received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Uppsala University in Sweden and Doctor of Medicine degree from Linköping University in Sweden.