BERKELEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Caribou Biosciences, Inc., a leading clinical-stage CRISPR genome editing biotechnology company, announced today the appointment of Jason O’Byrne as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). An accomplished executive with more than 20 years of experience within high-growth biotechnology environments, Mr. O’Byrne most recently served as Senior Vice President of Finance at Audentes Therapeutics.

“Jason’s deep experience in establishing growth-focused financial and operational infrastructures and executing successful financing strategies within the life sciences make him an ideal addition to Caribou’s executive leadership team,” said Rachel Haurwitz, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Caribou. “We are delighted to welcome Jason to Caribou and excited to leverage his expertise in the genetic medicines space as we continue to advance our promising allogeneic CAR-T and CAR-NK cell therapies in oncology.”

As CFO, Mr. O’Byrne will lead Caribou’s finance and accounting, business development, and investor relations functions while working with the company’s leadership team to drive its strategic initiatives and operating principles. Mr. O’Byrne joins Dr. Haurwitz; Steven Kanner, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer; and Barbara McClung, J.D., Chief Legal Officer as an officer of the company.

As Senior Vice President of Finance at Audentes Therapeutics, Mr. O’Byrne led financial operations of the gene therapy company, including strategic financial planning, SEC reporting, treasury, tax and procurement. Mr. O’Byrne oversaw the financial due diligence and integration related to the company’s acquisition by Astellas Pharma in 2020. Prior to Audentes, Mr. O’Byrne spent 13 years at Genentech/Roche, most recently serving as APAC Regional CFO based in Singapore. Earlier at Genentech, he held finance executive and leadership roles across product development, research, supply chain, and manufacturing in the United States and Switzerland. Mr. O’Byrne holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of British Columbia and an MBA in Finance from New York University.

“I am thrilled to join Caribou at this pivotal time in the company’s evolution as its lead candidate CB-010 enters clinical studies,” remarked Mr. O’Byrne. “It is a unique opportunity to join a team of passionate and dedicated individuals who have successfully translated next-generation CRISPR technology into a dynamic oncology therapeutics company. I look forward to contributing to Caribou’s continued momentum and enabling its mission to improve patients’ lives through novel genome-edited cell therapies.”

About Caribou Biosciences, Inc.

Caribou is a leading clinical-stage CRISPR genome editing biotechnology company founded by pioneers of CRISPR biology including Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna. The company is developing an internal pipeline of off-the-shelf genome-edited CAR-T and CAR-NK cell therapies.

For more information about Caribou, visit www.cariboubio.com and follow the Company @CaribouBio.

“Caribou Biosciences” and the Caribou logo are registered trademarks of Caribou Biosciences, Inc.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210209005011/en/