Imago BioSciences Appoints Enoch Kariuki to Board of Directors

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--#BoardAppointments--Imago BioSciences, Inc. (Imago), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative treatments for myeloid diseases, today announced that its board has appointed a new independent director, Enoch Kariuki, PharmD., who most recently served as the chief financial officer of VelosBio.

“Enoch comes to Imago with significant expertise in capital formation, business development and finance, and I’m delighted to strengthen our board with his addition,” said Hugh Rienhoff, Jr., M.D., chief executive officer, Imago BioSciences. “His perspective as both an investor and executive in the biotechnology field will provide our board with valuable insights to propel Imago through its upcoming corporate and clinical development milestones.”

Dr. Kariuki most recently served as the chief financial officer of VelosBio, which was acquired by Merck for $2.75 billion. At VelosBio, he led all finance and investor relations functions at the company. Prior to VelosBio, he served as senior vice president, corporate development at Synthorx, where he led the company’s $151 million IPO, and oversaw the acquisition of Synthorx by Sanofi for $2.5 billion. Before Synthorx, Dr. Kariuki was Vice President at H.I.G. Capital, a $40 billion private equity firm, where he led investments into, and served on the boards of, several life sciences companies. His previous roles also include senior associate at Leerink Partners and associate director at UBS. At Leerink and UBS, Dr. Kariuki advised healthcare companies on equity capital financings, mergers and acquisitions, and leveraged buyouts and recapitalizations. He holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and a PharmD from Texas Southern University.

“I’m impressed with the progress that the Imago team has made in advancing and expanding several clinical programs for the treatment of various blood disorders,” said Enoch Kariuki, PharmD. “It’s an exciting time for the company as they advance multiple programs targeting LSD1, a novel target for hematological disorders that has shown potential in several indications. I look forward to supporting their continued progress as they move toward late-stage clinical trials in essential thrombocythemia and myelofibrosis.”

About Bomedemstat (IMG-7289)
Bomedemstat is an orally available small molecule discovered and developed by Imago BioSciences that inhibits lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1 or KDM1A), an enzyme shown to be vital in cancer stem/progenitor cells, particularly neoplastic bone marrow cells. In non-clinical studies, bomedemstat demonstrated robust in vivo anti-tumor efficacy across a range of myeloid malignancies as a single agent and in combination with other therapeutic agents. Bomedemstat is an investigational agent currently being evaluated in ongoing clinical trials (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03136185, NCT04262141, NCT04254978 and NCT04081220).

Bomedemstat has U.S. FDA Orphan Drug and Fast Track Designation for the treatment of myelofibrosis and essential thrombocythemia, Orphan Drug Designation for treatment of acute myeloid leukemia and PRIME designation by the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of MF.

Bomedemstat is being evaluated in three open-label Phase 2 clinical trials for the treatment of advanced myelofibrosis (MF), polycythemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocythemia (ET), bone marrow cancers that interfere with the production of blood cells. MF patients who are resistant to a Janus Kinase (JAK) inhibitor and ET patients who have failed one standard of care treatment are eligible for the bomedemstat MF and ET studies, respectively.

About Imago BioSciences
Imago BioSciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of hematologic disorders. Imago has developed a series of compounds that inhibit LSD1, an epigenetic enzyme critical for cancer stem cell function and blood cell differentiation. The company is advancing the clinical development of its first LSD1 inhibitor, bomedemstat, for the treatment of myeloid neoplasms. Imago is backed by leading private, public and strategic investors including a fund managed by Blackstone Life Sciences, Frazier Healthcare Partners, Omega Funds, Farallon Capital Management, L.L.C., funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., and funds and accounts managed by Blackrock Advisors, LLC. The company is based in South San Francisco, California. To learn more, visit www.imagobio.com, www.myelofibrosisclinicalstudy.com, www.etclinicalstudy.com and follow us on Twitter @ImagoBioRx, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:
Steve Kunszabo
Canale Communications
steve.kunszabo@canalecomm.com

Investor Contact:
Matthew Plunkett, PhD,
Chief Financial Officer, Imago Biosciences
matthew.plunkett@imagobio.com