Full Press Release Details
Kyverna Therapeutics Appoints Mert Aktar to
its Board of Directors
Enriches Board's expertise in corporate strategy
and business development, with vast experience leading biopharmaceutical companies through rapid growth and creating value across innovative
therapeutic platforms, including cell therapy
EMERYVILLE, CALIF., Oct. 21, 2024 -- Kyverna
Therapeutics, Inc. (Kyverna), a patient-centered, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing cell therapies for
patients suffering from autoimmune diseases, today announced the appointment of biotechnology executive and cell therapy veteran Mert
Aktar as an independent director to its Board of Directors. Mr. Aktar has over two decades of biopharmaceutical experience, melding more
than a decade of technical leadership in cell and gene therapy with a proven track record in corporate development.
"We are delighted to welcome Mert to Kyverna's
Board of Directors as we continue to advance KYV-101 into later stages of development and build on Kyverna's CAR-T leadership in
autoimmune diseases," said Warner Biddle, Chief Executive Officer of Kyverna Therapeutics. "Mert brings an impressive track
record of building businesses and creating value through visionary operational leadership, strategic transactions and his understanding
of drug development and manufacturing. Mert's strategic experience and deep technical expertise in cell therapy will be invaluable
as we chart a course to bring the transformative power of CAR T treatments to as many patients as possible."
Mr. Aktar currently serves as Chief Executive
Officer of Receptive Bio, a privately held biotech company, and holds Board positions with UCLA Technology Development Group and ReAlta
Life Sciences. Prior to joining Receptive Bio, Mr. Aktar was the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Corporate Development &
Strategy at Kite Pharma. In this position, Mr. Aktar played a key role in establishing Kite's global leadership in cell therapy,
architecting strategy and executing numerous deals, which strengthened Kite's R&D portfolio and drove its global expansion.
Previously, Mr. Aktar held senior leadership positions at various biotech and large pharma organizations, across diverse modalities and
therapeutic areas. Most notably, he helped shape Shire's transformation into a global rare disease leader, facilitating numerous
multi-billion-dollar transactions as Global Head of Hematology and Immunology Business Development and earlier leading large-scale manufacturing
operations as Global Head of Engineering. Mr. Aktar holds an M.B.A. from MIT Sloan School of Management, a B.S. in Chemical Engineering
from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an M.S. in Engineering Management from Tufts University.
"I am thrilled to join the Board of Directors at this critical
time in Kyverna's maturation and growth. CAR T is a powerful modality with the potential to revolutionize patient care. Kyverna
stands at the forefront in bringing this innovation to patients with autoimmune disease, having already demonstrated encouraging efficacy
and safety across initial datasets with KYV-101," said Mr. Aktar. "I look forward to working with the Kyverna Board and leadership
to successfully advance the KYV-101 development program forward and scale the organization for future growth."
About Kyverna Therapeutics
Kyverna Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: KYTX) is a patient-centered, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing cell
therapies for patients suffering from autoimmune diseases.
Our lead CAR T-cell therapy candidate, KYV-101,
is advancing through clinical development with sponsored clinical trials across two broad areas of autoimmune disease: rheumatology and
neurology, including Phase 2 trials for stiff-person syndrome, multiple sclerosis and myasthenia gravis, a Phase 1/2 trial for systemic
sclerosis, and two ongoing multi-center, open-label Phase 1/2 trials in the United States and Germany for patients
with lupus nephritis.
Kyverna's pipeline includes next-generation CAR
T-cell therapies in both autologous and allogeneic formats with properties intended to be well suited for use in B cell-driven autoimmune
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and
prospects, as well as any other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts, may constitute "forward-looking statements."
The words, without limitation, "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 or similar identifying words. Forward-looking statements in this
press release include, without limitation, those related to: the proposed contributions of Mr. Aktar on Kyverna's Board of Directors;
Kyverna's prospects and ongoing clinical trials, KYV-101's safety, efficacy and commercial prospects; Kyverna's pipeline and the
potential for Kyverna's CAR T-cell therapies to be well suited for use in B cell-driven autoimmune diseases. Actual results may differ
materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: uncertainties
related to market conditions, and other factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of Kyverna's most recent Annual Report
on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q that Kyverna has filed or may subsequently file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on the current expectations of Kyverna's management
team and speak only as of the date hereof, and Kyverna specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement,
whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
For more information, please visit https://kyvernatx.com.
Precision AQ on behalf of Kyverna Therapeutics
Investors: InvestorRelations@kyvernatx.com
Media: media@kyvernatx.com