Troy Lister, Ph.D., to be promoted to chief scientific officer

Andrew Bellinger, M.D., Ph.D., will depart the Company and serve in an advisory capacity

BOSTON, May 31, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verve Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering a new approach to the care of cardiovascular disease with single-course gene editing medicines, today announced that Troy Lister, Ph.D., currently serving as Verve’s senior vice president, research and early development, has been appointed chief scientific officer (CSO), effective June 21, 2024. Andrew Bellinger, M.D., Ph.D., who has served as CSO since 2019, will step down from this role and serve in an advisory capacity.

“Over the past two years, Troy has been a respected colleague and wonderful leader at Verve, preceded by a longstanding career in research and development and program and portfolio management. In his new role as chief scientific officer, Troy will lead our research efforts as we further advance our pipeline programs, all of which address a robust set of validated cardiovascular targets in areas of high unmet need,” said Sekar Kathiresan, M.D., co-founder and chief executive officer of Verve Therapeutics. “Troy inherits a strong research function from Andrew. During his five years at Verve, Andrew, serving as Chief Scientific Officer and for a time as Chief Medical Officer, developed Verve’s pipeline, progressed our preclinical and clinical development programs, and built a phenomenal scientific team. On behalf of the entire team, I would like to thank Andrew for all of his contributions to Verve and to the cardiovascular disease patients we seek to serve.”

Dr. Lister brings more than 15 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, with extensive work in drug discovery, research, and development and program and portfolio leadership. Prior to joining Verve, he served as senior vice president of research and development at Spero Therapeutics, where he helped build the research and development organization and led multiple programs into first-in-human studies and through early clinical development. Dr. Lister has also held scientific and leadership roles at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research and AstraZeneca. He holds a B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Flinders University, Australia. He completed post-doctoral studies in bioactive natural product total synthesis at The Scripps Research Institute with Professor K.C. Nicolaou.

About Verve Therapeutics 
Verve Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VERV) is a clinical-stage genetic medicines company pioneering a new approach to the care of cardiovascular disease, potentially transforming treatment from chronic management to single-course gene editing medicines. The company’s lead programs – VERVE-101, VERVE-102, and VERVE-201 – target genes that have been extensively validated as targets for lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), a root cause of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). VERVE-101 and VERVE-102 are designed to permanently turn off the PCSK9 gene in the liver and are being developed initially for heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) and ultimately to treat patients with established ASCVD who continue to be impacted by high LDL-C levels. VERVE-201 is designed to permanently turn off the ANGPTL3 gene in the liver and is initially being developed for homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) and for refractory hypercholesterolemia where patients still have high LDL-C despite treatment with maximally-tolerated standard of care therapies. For more information, please visit www.VerveTx.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve substantial risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding timing of the CSO transition and the potential advantages and therapeutic potential of the company’s programs. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, contained in this press release, including statements regarding the company’s strategy, future operations, future financial position, prospects, plans and objectives of management, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Any forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in, or implied by, such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks associated with the company’s limited operating history; the company’s ability to timely submit and receive approvals of regulatory applications for its product candidates; advance its product candidates in clinical trials; initiate, enroll and complete its ongoing and future clinical trials on the timeline expected or at all; correctly estimate the potential patient population and/or market for the company’s product candidates; replicate in clinical trials positive results found in preclinical studies and/or earlier-stage clinical trials of VERVE-101, VERVE-102, and VERVE-201; advance the development of its product candidates under the timelines it anticipates in current and future clinical trials; obtain, maintain or protect intellectual property rights related to its product candidates; manage expenses; and raise the substantial additional capital needed to achieve its business objectives. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause the company’s actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the “Risk Factors” section, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties and other important factors, in the company’s most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in other filings that the company makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the future. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the company’s views as of the date hereof and should not be relied upon as representing the company’s views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof. The company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the company’s views to change. However, while the company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so.

Investor Contact
Jen Robinson
Verve Therapeutics, Inc.
jrobinson@vervetx.com

Media Contact
Ashlea Kosikowski
1AB
ashlea@1abmedia.com