Athersys Appoints Joseph Nolan to Its Board of Directors

Athersys, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATHX), a regenerative medicine company developing MultiStem (invimestrocel) for critical care indications, announced today the appointment of Joseph “Joe” Nolan to its Board of Directors, effective January 4, 2023. Mr. Nolan is an experienced biotechnology and pharmaceutical executive who currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Jaguar Gene Therapy, LLC. With this appointment, Athersys has five Directors, four of whom are independent.

“Joe is a strong addition to our Board, bringing more than 30 years of experience managing high-value global pipelines, launching multiple successful drugs and optimizing large-scale commercial operations. His understanding of the equity capital markets and his innovative approach to market access supported the successful launches of several drugs including Zolgensma, a gene therapy product developed by a company that was acquired by Novartis for $8.7 billion,” stated Ismail Kola, Ph.D., Chairman of the Athersys Board of Directors.

“I’m delighted to welcome Joe to the Athersys Board. His experience in building high-performance teams, driving operational efficiencies and launching biopharmaceutical products in competitive markets complement Athersys’ strategy. We look forward to drawing upon his expertise as we advance our corporate strategy and the clinical development of MultiStem,” stated Dan Camardo, Chief Executive Officer of Athersys.

Mr. Nolan has particular expertise in launching products that treat central nervous system disorders, most in orphan and specialty settings. Prior to Jaguar, he was General Manager of AveXis (now Novartis Gene Therapies), where he was a part of the team that launched Zolgensma for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, one of two recently approved gene therapies in the U.S. Earlier in his career, Mr. Nolan served as President at Dohmen Life Science Services, Chief Commercial Officer at Marathon Pharmaceuticals and Chief Commercial Officer at Lundbeck Inc. He has also held senior positions at Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Abbott Laboratories.

“I’m proud to join the Athersys Board and am enthusiastic about MultiStem’s potential across a range of unmet medical needs. My passion is in empowering teams to enhance the quality of care for patients, and in MultiStem I see a global opportunity that I look forward to helping maximize,” stated Mr. Nolan.

Mr. Nolan is a Director of Jaguar Gene Therapy and Axovia Therapeutics. He holds a B.S. in Finance from Tulane University and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame.

Athersys management will be in San Francisco during the 41^st J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference being held January 9-11, 2023, meeting with investors, analysts and prospective business partners. Please email [e-mail] to request a meeting.