Syros Announces Appointment of Alice T. Shaw to its Board of Directors

June 12, 2019 Off By BusinessWire

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Syros Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SYRS), a biopharmaceutical company
pioneering the development of medicines to control the expression of
genes, today announced the appointment of Alice Tsang Shaw, M.D., Ph.D.,
to the Company’s Board of Directors. Dr. Shaw is a highly respected
oncologist and recognized leader in translational medicine and the
development of targeted cancer therapies.

“Alice is a brilliant doctor and researcher, with a proven record of
bridging the gap between science and medicine to bring life-changing
targeted therapies to market for cancer patients,” said Nancy Simonian,
M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Syros. “Her expertise and insights,
along with her passion for making a profound difference for patients,
will be invaluable to Syros as we continue to advance our clinical
programs and develop novel targeted approaches for treating patients
with cancers that have largely eluded other approaches. We are thrilled
to welcome Alice to our board.”

Dr. Shaw is the Director of the Center for Thoracic Cancers, the Paula
O’Keeffe Endowed Chair of Thoracic Oncology at Massachusetts General
Hospital (MGH), Co-Leader of the Dana-Farber/MGH/Harvard Cancer Center
Thoracic Oncology Program, and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical
School. She is also the Co-Leader of the Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) Lung
Cancer Dream Team. In addition to caring for patients, Dr. Shaw performs
clinical and translational research with a focus on developing targeted
treatments for oncogene-driven lung cancers and elucidating resistance
mechanisms to targeted therapies. Her research has contributed to the
development of numerous approved targeted therapies, including
crizotinib (Xalkori), ceritinib (Zykadia), alectinib (Alecensa) and
lorlatinib (Lorbrena). One of her current areas of focus is developing
combination therapy strategies aimed at overcoming drug resistance.

Dr. Shaw is a standing member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee. She has been awarded a number of
research grants, including grants from the Damon Runyon Cancer Research
Foundation, the V Foundation for Cancer Research, Uniting Against Lung
Cancer, the National Foundation for Cancer Research, and the National
Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute. She received her B.A. in
biochemistry from Harvard University and her M.D. and Ph.D. from Harvard
Medical School. She completed her residency at MGH, oncology fellowship
at Dana-Farber/MGH and postdoctoral work at Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.

“We now know that many cancers are driven by the abnormal expression of
genes,” said Dr. Shaw. “I am excited about Syros’ pipeline programs and
its innovative approach to developing medicines to control the
expression of genes. I look forward to working with the board and the
management team to advance novel treatments for cancer patients.”

About Syros Pharmaceuticals
Syros is pioneering the
understanding of the non-coding regulatory region of the genome to
advance a new wave of medicines that control the expression of genes.
Syros has built a proprietary platform that is designed to
systematically and efficiently analyze this unexploited region of DNA to
identify and drug novel targets linked to genomically defined patient
populations. Because gene expression is fundamental to the function of
all cells, Syros’ gene control platform has broad potential to create
medicines that achieve profound and durable benefit across a range of
diseases. Syros is currently focused on cancer and monogenic diseases
and is advancing a growing pipeline of gene control medicines. Syros’
lead drug candidates are SY-1425, a selective RARα agonist in a Phase 2
clinical trial for genomically defined subsets of patients with acute
myeloid leukemia, and SY-1365, a selective CDK7 inhibitor in a Phase 1
clinical trial focused on patients with ovarian and breast cancers.
Syros is also developing a deep preclinical and discovery pipeline,
including SY-5609, an oral CDK7 inhibitor, as well as programs in
immuno-oncology and sickle cell disease. Led by a team with deep
experience in drug discovery, development and commercialization, Syros
is located in Cambridge, Mass.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This
press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including without
limitation statements regarding Syros’ ability to advance its clinical
programs and the benefits of Syros’ gene control platform and product
development pipeline. The words ‘‘anticipate,’’ ‘‘believe,’’
‘‘continue,’’ ‘‘could,’’ ‘‘estimate,’’ ‘‘expect,’’ “hope,” ‘‘intend,’’
‘‘may,’’ ‘‘plan,’’ ‘‘potential,’’ ‘‘predict,’’ ‘‘project,’’ ‘‘target,’’
‘‘should,’’ ‘‘would,’’ and similar expressions are intended to identify
forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements
contain these identifying words. Actual results or events could differ
materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in
these forward-looking statements as a result of various important
factors, including Syros’ ability to: advance the development of its
programs, including SY-1425 and SY-1365, under the timelines it projects
in current and future clinical trials; demonstrate in any current and
future clinical trials the requisite safety, efficacy and combinability
of its drug candidates; successfully progress SY-5609 through
IND-enabling preclinical and toxicology studies; replicate scientific
and non-clinical data in clinical trials; obtain and maintain patent
protection for its drug candidates and the freedom to operate under
third party intellectual property; obtain and maintain necessary
regulatory approvals; identify, enter into and maintain collaboration
agreements with third parties, including its ability to perform under
the collaboration agreement with Incyte; manage competition; manage
expenses; raise the substantial additional capital needed to achieve its
business objectives; attract and retain qualified personnel; and
successfully execute on its business strategies; risks described under
the caption “Risk Factors” in Syros’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2018, which is on file with the Securities and
Exchange Commission; and risks described in other filings that Syros
makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the future. Any
forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as
of the date hereof, and Syros expressly disclaims any obligation to
update any forward-looking statements, whether because of new
information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts

Media Contact:
Naomi Aoki
Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
617-283-4298
[email protected]

Investor
Contact:

Hannah Deresiewicz
Stern Investor Relations, Inc.
212-362-1200
[email protected]