Mersana Therapeutics, Inc. Appoints Chief Scientific Officer, Timothy B. Lowinger, Ph.D.

    CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 12 /CNW/ -- Mersana, a cancer therapeutics
company, announced today that Timothy B. Lowinger, Ph.D., has joined the
company as Chief Scientific Officer.
    "We are thrilled that Tim is now a part of the Mersana team," said Julie
A. Olson, President and CEO at Mersana. "His extensive leadership in oncology
research and his experience with polymer-based drug systems are an ideal match
for Mersana. In addition to the important impact he will have on our newest
programs, his contributions toward advancing our lead product, XMT-1001, and
our second product, XMT-1107, will be significant."
    Dr. Lowinger has over fifteen years of experience in the pharmaceutical
industry and brings a wealth of international experience to his new role in
leading our Research team. From 1993 to 2007, Dr. Lowinger held a number of
positions at Bayer Pharmaceuticals in the US, Germany, and Japan, where he
contributed to the discovery of more than 15 pre-clinical and clinical
candidates in a variety of indications. Most notably, he led the team that
discovered and advanced Nexavar(R) (sorafenib), an anti-cancer agent that is
approved for indications including renal and hepatocellular cancer, with Phase
III studies underway in non-small-cell lung and other cancers. Later, as the
VP and Department Head of Chemistry Research in West Haven, he managed a
department of scientists in the disciplines of medicinal, analytical,
computational, combinatorial and synthetic chemistry, focused on the discovery
and clinical proof-of-concept of new therapeutics for the treatment of cancer,
diabetes and obesity. He has most recently been VP of Chemistry and
Pharmaceutical Sciences at Angiotech Pharmaceuticals where he managed a
multidisciplinary team of scientists focused on developing polymer-based
pharmaceutical products for local administration as well as medical devices
incorporating pharmaceutical agents. Dr. Lowinger has a BSc in Chemistry and a
Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of British Columbia in
Vancouver, Canada.About Mersana Therapeutics, Inc.Mersana, a privately held, venture backed company, utilizes its
proprietary nanotechnology platform to transform existing and experimental
anti-cancer agents into new, patentable drugs with superior pharmaceutical
properties. The key component of Mersana's platform is Fleximer(R), a novel,
biodegradable and bio-inert polymer that can be chemically linked to small
molecules and biologics. Mersana's pipeline includes XMT-1001, a Fleximer-
camptothecin conjugate which is currently in Phase 1 clinical trials, and
several preclinical oncology compounds. Mersana's investors include Fidelity
Biosciences, ProQuest Investments, Rho Ventures, Harris & Harris Group and
PureTech Ventures.
    Fleximer(R) is a trademark of Mersana Therapeutics, Inc.

For further information: Pete Leone, Chief Operating Officer of Mersana 
Therapeutics, Inc., [phone]; or Media, Kathryn Morris of KMorrisPR, 
[phone], [e-mail]