Arcturus Therapeutics Appoints Steve Hughes, M.D., as Chief Development Officer

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arcturus Therapeutics (the “Company”, NASDAQ: ARCT), a leading messenger RNA medicines company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutics for rare diseases, today announced the appointment of Steve Hughes, M.D., as Chief Development Officer, effective January 2, 2020. Dr. Hughes brings over twenty years of clinical development experience in the fields of rare diseases, cardiovascular disease, and oncology. His most recent successes include RNA therapeutic approvals at Ionis Pharmaceuticals for the treatment of rare diseases including transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (TEGSEDI®), familial chylomicronemia syndrome (WAYLIVRA®) and spinal muscular atrophy (SPINRAZA®).  

Dr. Hughes will provide seasoned leadership and direction to Clinical Operations, Clinical Affairs, Clinical Sciences, Data Management/Biometrics, and Drug Safety.  As an Officer of the Company, he will serve on the Senior Management Team.  His initial focus will be on ARCT-810, a treatment for ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency, as it advances into human trials.

“We are at an important stage of the Company’s evolution as we enter 2020,” said Dr. Pad Chivukula, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Scientific Officer of Arcturus Therapeutics. “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Hughes to our team, as he leverages his expertise to provide unique solutions for developing RNA medicines.”

Dr. Hughes stated, “Arcturus is establishing itself as a world leader in the field of intravenously-dosed messenger RNA therapeutics, and over the next few months Arcturus will be transitioning to become a clinical stage pharmaceutical company. I look forward to ushering ARCT-810, a potential mRNA treatment for ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency, into the clinic.”

Dr. Hughes has over 20 years of experience building and leading clinical development and medical affairs teams at leading biopharma companies. He has been involved in more than 50 clinical trials with more than 25 drugs across multiple therapeutic areas including cardiovascular, metabolic, neurology, oncology, infectious diseases, rheumatology, ophthalmology and several rare diseases, in the U.S. and globally. Dr. Hughes has also played a key role in the submission of multiple NDA/MAA applications. Most recently he served as the Chief Medical Officer of Organovo where he led the non-clinical and clinical development teams developing bioprinted tissues for treatment of hepatic and renal diseases. Prior to that he was Chief Clinical Development Officer at Ionis Pharmaceuticals, where he led a team that managed the global clinical development of multiple drugs across several therapeutic areas. He has also held positions at Biogen Idec, CSL Behring and Sanofi. Dr. Hughes is Board Certified in Pharmaceutical Medicine and received his medical degree from Imperial College, London. He also has an MBA from Imperial College Business School.

About Arcturus Therapeutics
Founded in 2013 and based in San Diego, California, Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: ARCT) is an RNA medicines company with enabling technologies – LUNAR® lipid-mediated delivery, Unlocked Nucleomonomer Analog (UNA) chemistry, STARR technology™ – and mRNA drug substance along with drug product manufacturing. Arcturus’ diverse pipeline of RNA therapeutics includes programs to potentially treat Ornithine Transcarbamylase (OTC) Deficiency, Cystic Fibrosis, Glycogen Storage Disease Type 3, Hepatitis B, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Arcturus’ versatile RNA therapeutics platforms can be applied toward multiple types of nucleic acid medicines including messenger RNA, small interfering RNA, replicon RNA, antisense RNA, microRNA, DNA, and gene editing therapeutics. Arcturus’ technologies are covered by its extensive patent portfolio (177 patents and patent applications, issued in the U.S., Europe, Japan, China and other countries). Arcturus’ commitment to the development of novel RNA therapeutics has led to collaborations with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, Inc., Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, CureVac AG, Synthetic Genomics Inc. and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. For more information visit www.Arcturusrx.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” that involve substantial risks and uncertainties for purposes of the safe harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our expectations regarding the timing and success of our development efforts.  Any statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this press release regarding strategy, future operations, collaborations, future financial position, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. Arcturus may not actually achieve the plans, carry out the intentions or meet the expectations or projections disclosed in any forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Actual results and performance could differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including without limitation, an inability to develop and market product candidates.  Such statements are based on management’s current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties, including those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in Arcturus’ Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, filed with the SEC on May 14, 2018 and Nov 7, 2019. Except as otherwise required by law, Arcturus disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise.

Contact
Neda Safarzadeh
Arcturus Therapeutics
(858) 900-2682
IR@ArcturusRx.com

Arcturus Investor Contacts
Michael Wood
LifeSci Advisors LLC
(646) 597-6983
mwood@lifesciadvisors.com

Source: Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc.