Synthorx Appoints Pratik Shah, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Synthorx, Inc., a biotechnology company using a first-of-its-kind Expanded Genetic Alphabet platform to discover and develop innovative protein therapeutics for cancer and autoimmune disorders, today announced the appointment of Pratik Shah, Ph.D., to its board of directors.

"With his extensive business experience as Auspex Pharmaceuticals' CEO prior to its acquisition, coupled with his diverse background in venture capital, Dr. Shah's broad knowledge of the life sciences industry will add crucial insights to our board of directors," said Laura Shawver, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Synthorx. "Dr. Shah joins us at a pivotal time in our own development, as we continue to advance our Synthorintm cytokine pipeline into clinical trials, including targeting the well-known signaling molecule IL-2."

Dr. Shah was president and chief executive officer of Auspex Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel medicines for people with movement disorders and its lead product, AUSTEDO (deutetrabenazine), is currently on the market. He first became involved in Auspex as an investor in 2007 and served as its chairman or executive chairman at various points in time until he took over as its chief executive officer in 2013. As chief executive officer, he took the company public and oversaw its growth until its eventual acquisition by Teva Pharmaceuticals for $3.5 billion in 2015. Dr. Shah was a partner in the healthcare venture capital firm Thomas, McNerney & Partners for almost a decade starting in 2004, and has served on numerous boards for both private and public companies. Prior to joining Thomas, McNerney & Partners, he co-founded two biotechnology companies and was also a consultant at McKinsey & Company in San Francisco. Dr. Shah obtained his Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology as well as his MBA in finance from the University of Chicago.

About Synthorx
Synthorx, Inc. is a biotechnology company that is using a first-of-its-kind Expanded Genetic Alphabet platform technology to discover and develop innovative protein therapeutics for cancer and autoimmune disorders. The Synthorx platform expands the chemical and structural repertoire of protein therapeutics and uncovers new ways to modulate pharmacological properties of biologics. The company's platform has the ability to drive site-specific incorporation of multiple synthetic amino acids into proteins, thereby tuning receptor specificity important for optimizing efficacy and safety. This unique platform generates these improved proteins, called Synthorins, including lead product candidate, THOR-707, an IL-2 Synthorin with planned development in oncology. The company was founded based on important discoveries in Dr. Floyd Romesberg's lab at The Scripps Research Institute. The company is headquartered in La Jolla, Calif.

SOURCE Synthorx, Inc.