LA JOLLA, Calif., June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Anaphore Inc. today announced the appointment of Paul A. Grayson as president and CEO. A life sciences executive with an extensive track record of success in business development and financial transactions for emerging biopharmaceutical companies, Grayson joins Anaphore as it focuses its efforts on the establishment of collaborations with pharmaceutical companies for the discovery and development of novel Atrimer therapeutics. He replaces Katherine S. Bowdish, Ph.D., a co-founder of Anaphore, who will continue to serve the company as a consultant.

"I am proud of the collective accomplishments of the Anaphore team from inception to date including significantly advancing the core platform technology, programs, and forging a critical partnership," said Kathy Bowdish. "I am confident of the team's ability to execute under Paul's direction as the company embarks in this next exciting stage in its evolution."

"The addition of Paul reflects Anaphore's movement into its next phase of development," said Russell G. Greig, Ph.D., the company's executive chairman. "His deal-making experience and leadership qualities will bring a new dimension to the company as we increase our efforts to unlock the value of our technology platform. We are grateful to Kathy for her success in building a top-notch scientific team and advancing the technology to this sophisticated stage."

Grayson commented, "I've had the opportunity to evaluate many leadership opportunities in the industry over the past months. Anaphore's Atrimer technology caught my attention and stood out as an innovative approach to tackling diseases that were out of reach because of limitations with today's protein drugs. I am excited to join the company at its current stage and view this as an opportunity that is destined for success."

Grayson previously served as CEO of Fate Therapeutics, a San Diego-based, privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of therapies that act through stem cell modulation. Before this, he was managing director of Sanderling Ventures where he was a founding board member of multiple portfolio companies including: Calcimedica, Taligen Therapeutics (acquired by Alexion Pharmaceuticals), and Naviscan. Prior to Sanderling, Grayson served as the founding Chairman and CEO of Senomyx Inc. and part of the founding management team of Aurora Biosciences (acquired by Vertex).

About Anaphore

Anaphore is developing a new class of protein pharmaceuticals to address significant unmet medical needs for patients with serious diseases. The company's Atrimer technology platform originates in tetranectin, a human plasma protein of trivalent structure. Each of the three binding domains comprises five distinct amino-acid loops that can be programmed to bind potently and specifically to virtually any target of interest. Atrimer therapeutics potentially offer biological, manufacturing, and commercial advantages over currently marketed therapies. Atrimer protein therapeutics are protected by intellectual property, including multiple patent families.

Anaphore's initial therapeutic focus is immunology and oncology. In collaboration with select partners, Anaphore is committed to realizing the full promise of Atrimer therapeutics against targets in a wide range of therapeutic areas, including rare diseases.

Anaphore recently formed a partnership with Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation to discover and develop Atrimer drug candidatesfor the treatment of autoimmune disorders. Since its founding in 2008, Anaphore has raised $38 million in financing from top-tier biotechnology investors 5AM Ventures, Versant Ventures, Apposite Capital LLP, SR One, Merck Serono Ventures and Aravis SA.

For more information please visit www.anaphore.com.

Media Contact:
Ian Stone or David Schull
Russo Partners, LLC
619-528-2220
212-845-4271
ian.stone@russopartnersllc.com
david.schull@russopartnersllc.com

SOURCE Anaphore