CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mersana Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRSN), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing a pipeline of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) targeting cancers in areas of high unmet medical need, today announced that Carla Poulson has joined the company as Chief Human Resources Officer.

“Carla has substantial experience in organizational and talent development that will be instrumental to Mersana as we scale the Company to accommodate a maturing and expanding pipeline. More importantly, Carla shares Mersana’s core values and commitment to an organization focused on scientific rigor and patient needs. I am confident that Carla will have a great impact,” said Anna Protopapas, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mersana Therapeutics. “On behalf of our entire leadership team, we welcome Carla and are all thrilled to have her joining us.”

Ms. Poulson was most recently Chief Human Resources Officer at Akcea Therapeutics where she played an integral role in building the organization including recruiting several members of the senior management team. Before joining Akcea, she served in multiple roles at Vertex Pharmaceuticals for over 10 years including as Head of International Human Resources where she was instrumental in helping build the organization to over two hundred fifty employees in just two years. Prior to Vertex, she held senior human resources positions at Ahold Corporation, Pepsi Bottling Group and ExxonMobil Corporation. Ms. Poulson holds a Masters in Human Resources & Industrial Relations and a B.S. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, both from the University of Illinois.

“Mersana has a promising pipeline, a talented team and a strong culture. I am excited to be joining the organization at this time with the initiation of the UPLIFT registration strategy as well as the advancement of the rest of the pipeline,” said Ms. Poulson. “I look forward to joining the team as we seek to advance our programs and bring them to patients with cancers in areas of high unmet need.”

About Mersana Therapeutics
Mersana Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company using its differentiated and proprietary ADC platforms to rapidly develop novel ADCs with optimal efficacy, safety and tolerability to meaningfully improve the lives of people fighting cancer. Mersana’s lead product candidate, XMT-1536, is in the expansion portion of a Phase 1 proof-of-concept clinical study in patients with ovarian cancer and NSCLC adenocarcinoma. XMT-1592, Mersana’s second ADC product candidate targeting NaPi2b-expressing tumors, was created using Mersana’s customizable and homogeneous Dolasynthen platform and is in the dose escalation portion of a Phase 1 proof-of-concept clinical study. The Company’s early stage programs include XMT-1660, a B7-H4 targeting ADC, as well as XMT-2056, a STING-agonist ADC developed using the Company’s Immunosynthen platform. In addition, multiple partners are using Mersana’s Dolaflexin platform to advance their ADC pipelines.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements are not statements of historical facts and are based on management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Forward-looking statements include information concerning the Company’s business strategy and the design, progression and timing of its clinical trials and expectations regarding future clinical trial results based on data achieved to date. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by terms such as “aims,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “contemplates,” “continues,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “goal,” “intends,” “may,” “on track,” “opportunity,” “plans,” “poised for,” “possible,” “potential,” “predicts,” “projects,” “promises to be,” “seeks,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Forward-looking statements represent management’s beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. The Company’s operations involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside its control, and any one of which, or combination of which, could materially affect its results of operations and whether the forward-looking statements ultimately prove to be correct. Factors that may materially affect the Company’s results of operations and whether these forward-looking statements prove to be correct include, among other things, that preclinical testing or early clinical results may not be predictive of the results or success of ongoing or later clinical trials, regulatory changes, particularly with respect to the change in the U.S. presidential administration, the FDA’s review of the protocol for our study of the single-arm UPLIFT cohort, and that the development and testing of the Company’s product candidates and new platforms will take longer and/or cost more than planned, and that the identification of new product candidates will take longer than planned, as well as those listed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February 28, 2020, with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on May 8, 2020, with the SEC and subsequent SEC filings. In addition, while we expect that the COVID-19 pandemic might adversely affect the Company’s preclinical and clinical development efforts, business operations and financial results, the extent of the impact on the Company’s operations and the value of and market for the Company’s common stock will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence at this time, such as the ultimate duration of the pandemic, travel restrictions, quarantines, physical distancing and business closure requirements in the U.S. and in other countries, and the effectiveness of actions taken globally to contain and treat the disease. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

Contact:

Investor & Media Contact
Sarah Carmody, 617-844-8577
scarmody@mersana.com