Aileron Therapeutics Appoints Kathryn Gregory as Chief Business Officer

WATERTOWN, Mass., March 04, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aileron Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ALRN), the clinical-stage leader in the field of stabilized cell-permeating peptides to treat cancer and other diseases, today announced that Kathryn Gregory has been named Chief Business Officer (CBO). In this role, Ms. Gregory will head Aileron's business development efforts, including global licensing, collaborations, transactions and alliances.

“We are excited to expand our leadership team to include Kathryn Gregory as our Chief Business Officer as Kathryn will play an instrumental role in helping Aileron build value through its business development activities.  Kathryn will oversee our existing collaborations and spearhead the ongoing development of new partnerships,” said Dr. Manuel Aivado, CEO & President of Aileron.

Ms. Gregory commented, “I am enthusiastic about the prospects for our lead drug candidate, ALRN-6924, and the broad applicability of Aileron’s stabilized cell-permeating peptide platform.  Our ability to target intracellular protein-protein interactions and address previously undruggable targets is a capability that I believe many potential partners will find very attractive.  I will be looking to capitalize on these capabilities for the benefit of patients and Aileron.”

Ms. Gregory has over 25 years of executive leadership experience in both startup and mid-sized biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.  She has extensive experience in international business development, including corporate strategy, negotiation, mergers and acquisitions, alliance management and operational experience in marketing, strategic sourcing and procurement. 

Most recently, Ms. Gregory was President of KG BioPharma Consulting LLC, a strategic advisory company, where she assisted small and mid-size biopharma companies in a range of corporate strategy and business development activities.  Prior to her advisory company, Ms. Gregory was Co-Founder and CEO for Seneb BioSciences, an early-stage, rare disease company, which was sold to a mid-sized biotech firm in 2017.  Earlier in her career, Ms. Gregory worked in senior roles in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including as Executive Director, Licensing & Business Development at Purdue Pharma, where she was responsible for the identification, evaluation and negotiation of new business development opportunities and collaborations.  Prior to Purdue, Ms. Gregory was responsible for business development transactions as Head, Transactions, at Shire Pharmaceuticals for the Neuroscience and Ophthalmology business units. Ms. Gregory received an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University and a B.A. degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

About ALRN-6924

ALRN-6924 is currently being evaluated in multiple clinical trials for the treatment of solid and hematological cancers, including MDM2-amplified cancers, as well as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). For information about Aileron’s clinical trials, please visit .

About Aileron

Aileron is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advancing a proprietary platform of cell-permeating alpha-helical peptides that address the most important intracellular targets in oncology and other therapeutic areas. The stabilized helical structure of our peptides allows the design of cell-permeating therapeutic agents with large molecular surfaces for optimal target binding properties, resulting in unique drugs like ALRN-6924. Our current focus is to improve the standard of care for patients with solid tumors and hematological malignancies by developing safe and effective therapies that leverage our proprietary peptide platform. For more information, visit , and for more information about our clinical trials please visit  .

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release about Aileron's future expectations, plans and prospects, as well as any other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts, may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the Company’s strategy and clinical development plans. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.

Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including whether Aileron’s cash resources will be sufficient to fund its continuing operations for the periods and/or trials anticipated; whether results obtained in preclinical studies and clinical trials will be indicative of results obtained in future clinical trials; whether Aileron’s product candidates will advance through the clinical trial process on a timely basis, or at all; whether the results of such trials will warrant submission for approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration or equivalent foreign regulatory agencies; whether Aileron's product candidates will receive approval from regulatory agencies on a timely basis or at all; whether, if product candidates obtain approval, they will be successfully distributed and marketed; whether the Company will be able to enter into additional collaborations;  and other factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of Aileron's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2018, filed on November 7, 2018, and risks described in other filings that Aileron may make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Aileron specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investors:

Aileron Therapeutics

Don Dougherty, CFO

617-995-0900

Hans C. Vitzthum

LifeSci Advisors, LLC.

617-535-7743