CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fulcrum Therapeutics, Inc.^® (Nasdaq: FULC), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on improving the lives of patients with genetically defined rare diseases, today announced that Robert J. Gould, Ph.D., former founding chief executive officer of Fulcrum and a current member of the Board of Directors, has been appointed interim chief executive officer, effective January 3, 2023. Dr. Gould succeeds Bryan Stuart, who is transitioning from his CEO role and the Board of Directors to pursue other opportunities. Fulcrum’s Board of Directors has initiated a search for a permanent CEO.

“On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Bryan for his contributions to Fulcrum during a transformative time in the company’s trajectory, in which the company demonstrated proof of concept for FTX-6058, initiated a registrational trial in FSHD, and solidified our financial position with multiple successful financings. We are highly confident in the Fulcrum team’s ability to continue advancing our mission and achieving our long-term goals while executing on Fulcrum’s strategic priorities,” said Kate Haviland, chair of Fulcrum’s Board of Directors. “Dr. Gould’s deep leadership and industry experience, along with his history with Fulcrum, will enable a seamless transition, ensuring continuity of our leadership, mission, strategy, and culture. In addition to being a seasoned executive, Robert played a key role in setting the stage for Fulcrum’s ongoing achievements, leading Fulcrum through its transition to the public markets and its evolution into a clinical-stage company. Dr. Gould is ideally situated to lead Fulcrum at this pivotal time and to ensure a smooth transition to a new CEO following the completion of the search.”

“I am deeply committed to Fulcrum’s mission and look forward to working with the talented executive team at Fulcrum as interim CEO as we continue to advance our two key clinical programs and execute on our corporate objectives,” said Dr. Gould. “2023 will be a key year for Fulcrum, as we execute on our two clinical programs, FTX-6058 for sickle cell disease and losmapimod for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy disorder.”

“I am proud of Fulcrum’s tremendous progress in the past few years. We have built an extraordinary leadership team, made significant advancements with all of our programs, and created a strong financial position,” said Bryan Stuart. “I look forward to Fulcrum continuing to deliver on the disease-modifying potential of these therapies that can have an important impact on patients’ lives.”

Robert J. Gould has over 35 years of biopharmaceutical industry and management experience. He served as founding president and chief executive officer of Fulcrum Therapeutics from 2016 to 2021, after which he remained a member of the Board of Directors. Before Fulcrum, he served as president and CEO of Epizyme from 2010 to 2015. Previously, Dr. Gould served as director of novel therapeutics at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard from 2006 to 2010. Before that, he spent more than 20 years at Merck in leadership positions of increasing responsibility, culminating in the role of vice president, licensing, and external research. During his time at Merck, Robert was instrumental in advancing more than 20 compounds from discovery into clinical development in multiple therapeutic areas. Prior to joining industry, Dr. Gould completed post-doctoral studies in neuropharmacology at Johns Hopkins University. He earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Iowa and a B.S. in chemistry from Spring Arbor University. In addition to his role as a member of Fulcrum’s Board of Directors, he currently serves on the boards of HemoShear Therapeutics, Turnstone Biologics, Faeth Therapeutics, and Rubedo Life.

About Fulcrum Therapeutics

Fulcrum Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on improving the lives of patients with genetically defined rare diseases in areas of high unmet medical need. Fulcrum’s two lead programs in clinical development are losmapimod, a small molecule for the treatment of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), and FTX-6058, a small molecule designed to increase expression of fetal hemoglobin for the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD) and other hemoglobinopathies, including beta-thalassemia. Fulcrum’s proprietary product engine, FulcrumSeek™, identifies drug targets that can modulate gene expression to treat the known root cause of gene mis-expression. For more information, visit www.fulcrumtx.com and follow us on Twitter @FulcrumTx and LinkedIn.

Contact:

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Media:
Dee Smith
Executive Director, Corporate Communications
Fulcrum Therapeutics, Inc.
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