Morphic Announces Appointment of Peter G. Linde, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer

WALTHAM, Mass., March 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Morphic Therapeutic (NASDAQ: MORF), a biopharmaceutical company developing a new generation of oral integrin therapies for the treatment of serious chronic diseases, today announced the appointment of Peter G. Linde, M.D., as chief medical officer. Dr. Linde was previously vice president of medical research at Acceleron Pharma, Inc., where he was responsible for the design and execution of clinical trials with positive outcomes in both pulmonary and hematologic diseases. Dr. Linde will oversee the development of Morphic’s small molecule integrin inhibitors as the company advances its oral integrin inhibitors toward clinical trials.

“Dr. Linde has an extensive track record of driving clinical advancement across multiple therapeutic areas including inflammatory, pulmonary and hematologic disease. Notably, his experience includes clinical studies in inflammatory bowel disease, the therapeutic target of MORF-057, our lead oral integrin inhibitor anticipated to enter the clinic this year,” commented Praveen Tipirneni, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Morphic Therapeutic. “On behalf of everyone at Morphic, I welcome Dr. Linde to the team. We look forward to his leadership in developing the processes, partners and resources to guide MORF-057 and our portfolio of additional product candidates through development.”

Dr. Linde brings more than 15 years of experience in pharmaceutical clinical development and research. Most recently he served as vice president of medical research at Acceleron Pharma, Inc., where he led study design and development for clinical trials in pulmonary and hematologic diseases. These studies included the recently successful Phase 2 study of sotatercept in pulmonary arterial hypertension as well as late-stage development work on luspatercept, which in 2019 obtained FDA approval for treatment of transfusion-dependent patients with beta-thalassemia. Prior to this role, Dr. Linde was a project leader in clinical asset development at AbbVie, Inc., where he guided the global development of renal and immunology products. Dr. Linde also served as a senior director of clinical development at FibroGen, Inc., developing trial protocols and leading clinical studies to treat anemia in hemodialysis patients. Dr. Linde began his pharmaceutical career developing new indications for the decompensated heart failure treatment NATRECOR® (nesiritide) as a director of clinical research at Johnson & Johnson, Inc.

“Morphic is built on world-class insight into integrin biology, outstanding medicinal chemistry and a growing body of impressive preclinical data. It has also established itself as the leader in the discovery of small molecule drug candidates that specifically target this important receptor class. Oral integrin therapy has the potential to transform treatments for patients suffering from diseases spanning autoimmunity, fibrosis and cancer,” said Dr. Linde. “I am very much looking forward to guiding the clinical development of Morphic’s pipeline.”

Dr. Linde completed medical school at Stanford University and a residency at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in internal medicine. He then went on to complete two fellowships at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in nephrology and transplantation. Following the completion of his core medical training, Dr. Linde spent approximately 10 years as a practicing clinician, clinical instructor and mentor at several institutions including Allegheny University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham & Women’s Hospital and San Francisco General Hospital. Dr. Linde earned his bachelor’s degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in both chemical engineering as well as applied biology. He is also an inventor on multiple issued patents relating to stem cell and extracorporeal organ support technologies.

NATRECOR® is a registered trademark of Johnson & Johnson.

About Morphic Therapeutic

Morphic Therapeutic is a biopharmaceutical company developing a new generation of oral integrin therapies for the treatment of serious chronic diseases, including autoimmune, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, fibrosis and cancer. In collaboration with AbbVie, Janssen, and Schrödinger, Morphic is advancing its pipeline and discovery activities using its proprietary MInT technology platform which leverages the Company’s unique understanding of integrin structure and biology. For more information, visit .

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to: Morphic’s plan to develop and commercialize oral small-molecule integrin therapeutics; the ability of MORF-057 to treat inflammatory bowel disease; and Morphic’s expectations about timing and ability to obtain regulatory approvals for MORF-057 or any other of its product candidates. Statements including words such as “believe,” “plan,” “continue,” “expect,” “will be,” “develop,” “signal,” “potential,” or “ongoing” and statements in the future tense are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions, which, if they do not fully materialize or prove incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause Morphic’s actual activities or results to differ significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statement, including risks and uncertainties related to Morphic’s ability to develop, obtain regulatory approval for and commercialize MORF-720, MORF-057, and other product candidates, the timing and results of preclinical studies and clinical trials, Morphic’s ability to protect intellectual property; and other risks set forth in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and Morphic specifically disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements or reasons why actual results might differ, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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