Passage Bio Appoints Eliseo O. Salinas, M.D., MSc, as Chief Research & Development Officer

PHILADELPHIA, March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Passage Bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: PASG), a genetic medicines company focused on developing transformative therapies for rare monogenic central nervous system (CNS) disorders, today announced it has appointed Eliseo O. Salinas, M.D., MSc, as the company’s chief research & development (R&D) officer. Dr. Salinas joins the company from Acadia Pharmaceuticals, where he served as chief scientific officer (CSO) and senior vice president, External Innovation.

“As Passage Bio continues to grow and evolve, building its pipeline of genetic medicines and transitioning to a clinical-stage company with multiple assets in the clinic, we are pleased to have someone of Eliseo’s caliber and experience lead our R&D organization,” said Bruce Goldsmith, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Passage Bio. “In the last year, we have built an immensely talented R&D team, and Eliseo is a welcome addition to support achieving our ambitious goals for advancing and expanding our pipeline. Eliseo brings deep and broad R&D experience, having worked in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry for more than three decades, much of it in R&D leadership roles at small, mid-size and large companies. He also has extensive experience in neuroscience and rare diseases, which is well aligned with our company’s focus on rare CNS disorders.”

For the last 17 years of his career, Dr. Salinas has managed R&D organizations in mid-size companies, such as Shire and Elan Pharmaceuticals, where he was executive vice president, R&D and CSO, and executive vice president, head of development and CMO, respectively. He also has managed R&D at small pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including Adolor, StemCell Inc. and New World Laboratories. Dr. Salinas has extensive experience in the development of small molecules, biologics and cell therapy, and has been directly involved with numerous investigational new drug application submissions and 15 regulatory approvals in the United States and globally.

Dr. Salinas received his M.D. from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. completed his residency in psychiatry at the Clinique des Maladies Mentales et de l'Encéphale, Paris, and obtained his Master of Science in pharmacology from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Académie de Paris.

“Having devoted my career to developing medicines for serious conditions, I could not be happier about joining Passage Bio at this critical juncture,” said Dr. Salinas. “I look forward to working with the team as we embark on the development of three potentially transformative programs, and as we seek to progress and expand our pipeline in partnership with the esteemed Gene Therapy Program at the University of Pennsylvania. I look forward to being part of a company with such tremendous opportunity for positive impact on patients and their families.”

About Passage Bio

At Passage Bio (Nasdaq: PASG), we are on a mission to provide life-transforming gene therapies for patients with rare, monogenic CNS diseases that replace their suffering with boundless possibility, all while building lasting relationships with the communities we serve. Based in Philadelphia, PA, our company has established a strategic collaboration and licensing agreement with the renowned University of Pennsylvania’s Gene Therapy Program to conduct our discovery and IND-enabling preclinical work. This provides our team with enhanced access to a broad portfolio of gene therapy candidates and future gene therapy innovations that we then pair with our deep clinical, regulatory, manufacturing and commercial expertise to rapidly advance our robust pipeline of optimized gene therapies into clinical testing. As we work with speed and tenacity, we are always mindful of patients who may be able to benefit from our therapies. More information is available at www.passagebio.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of, and made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of, the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to: our expectations about timing and execution of anticipated milestones, including initiation of clinical trials and the availability of clinical data from such trials; our expectations about our collaborators’ and partners’ ability to execute key initiatives; our expectations about manufacturing plans and strategies; our expectations about cash runway; and the ability of our lead product candidates to treat their respective target monogenic CNS disorders. These forward-looking statements may be accompanied by such words as “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “possible,” “will,” “would,” and other words and terms of similar meaning. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such statements, including: our ability to develop and obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates; the timing and results of preclinical studies and clinical trials; risks associated with clinical trials, including our ability to adequately manage clinical activities, unexpected concerns that may arise from additional data or analysis obtained during clinical trials, regulatory authorities may require additional information or further studies, or may fail to approve or may delay approval of our drug candidates; the occurrence of adverse safety events; the risk that positive results in a preclinical study or clinical trial may not be replicated in subsequent trials or success in early stage clinical trials may not be predictive of results in later stage clinical trials; failure to protect and enforce our intellectual property, and other proprietary rights; our dependence on collaborators and other third parties for the development and manufacture of product candidates and other aspects of our business, which are outside of our full control; risks associated with current and potential delays, work stoppages, or supply chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic; and the other risks and uncertainties that are described in the Risk Factors section in documents the company files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and other reports as filed with the SEC. Passage Bio undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

For further information, please contact:

Passage Bio Investors:

Stuart Henderson
shenderson@passagebio.com

Passage Bio Media:

Gwen Fisher
215-407-1548
gfisher@passagebio.com