TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) today announced that Kathryn Guarini, Ph.D., and David P. Schenkein, M.D., have joined Regeneron’s Board of Directors effective September 8, 2023.

“Today’s announcement demonstrates our strong commitment to strategic refreshment of the Board, a focus on the recruitment of new directors to complement the overall mix of skills, experience and perspectives, and further enhancement of the Board’s diversity,” said Christine Poon, Lead Independent Director of Regeneron’s Board.

Kathryn Guarini, Ph.D., who will serve as an Independent Director, recently retired as Chief Information Officer of IBM. Prior to her role as CIO which began in 2021, Dr. Guarini served in multiple executive leadership roles at IBM over more than 20 years, including Chief Operating Officer of IBM Research and Vice President of Product Management for IBM Systems. Dr. Guarini has been included on the Top 100 Leader list (#2 in 2022) from Technology Magazine and Forbes’ CIO Next list (2022), and she is a member of the United States Patent & Trademark Office’s National Council for Expanding American Innovation. She earned her Bachelor of Science and Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Yale University and Stanford University, respectively.

“I am thrilled to join Regeneron’s Board of Directors,” said Dr. Guarini. “Regeneron’s science-driven mission and prioritization of homegrown technologies resonates strongly with me, and I look forward to adding my technology and business experience to foster Regeneron's innovative approach in all areas of the business.”

David P. Schenkein, M.D., is a General Partner and Co-lead of the Life Sciences team at GV (Google Ventures). Prior to joining GV in 2019, Dr. Schenkein served as Chief Executive Officer for Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for 10 years. He previously served in clinical leadership roles at major biotechnology companies including Senior Vice President, Clinical Hematology/Oncology at Genentech, Inc., and Senior Vice President, Clinical Research at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Since 2009, Dr. Schenkein has also served as Adjunct Clinical Professor of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology at Tufts Medical Center. He is currently a Board Member of Prime Medicine, Inc., Denali Therapeutics, Inc., and Agios. Dr. Schenkein earned his M.D. at the State University of New York Upstate Medical School in Syracuse and completed his medical training at the Tufts University School of Medicine.

“Regeneron has been moving biotechnology innovation forward for over three decades, and I am excited to work alongside a talented team of physician-scientists guided by patient impact,” said Dr. Schenkein. “The company approaches medicine with a unique mix of entrepreneurial spirit, scientific rigor and deep medical knowledge. I look forward to partnering with the team to further Regeneron’s mission of translating scientific research into important new medicines for patients and families in need.”

In addition, the company announced that Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Ph.D., a member of the Board since 2011, has retired from the role effective September 1, 2023. Dr. Tessier-Lavigne informed Regeneron that his decision to retire was due to potential conflicts that may arise as he becomes more involved with other companies.

“It has been a great privilege to be a member of Regeneron’s Board for close to 12 years,” said Dr. Tessier-Lavigne. “Throughout that time, I have been continually inspired by the quality and the intensity of the science at Regeneron, and the drive that permeates the entire company to create therapies and cures for patients suffering from poorly treated diseases. I am thankful to have had the chance to contribute to advancing Regeneron’s mission, and I wish the company the very best in the months and years to come.”

“We welcome Kathryn and David to Regeneron’s Board, knowing they will be fantastic additions as we continue to focus on using the power of science to transform patient lives and drive shareholder value,” said Leonard S. Schleifer, M.D., Ph.D., Board Co-Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer, and George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., Board Co-Chair, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron. “Kathryn has deep and relevant knowledge in information technology, data security and artificial intelligence, and David brings combined industry and academic experience in our priority fields of oncology and hematology. We also thank Marc for his many outstanding contributions and long-term commitment to Regeneron, and we wish him well in his next steps.”

About Regeneron

Regeneron (NASDAQ: REGN) is a leading biotechnology company that invents, develops and commercializes life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases. Founded and led for 35 years by physician-scientists, our unique ability to repeatedly and consistently translate science into medicine has led to numerous FDA-approved treatments and product candidates in development, almost all of which were homegrown in our laboratories. Regeneron’s medicines and pipeline are designed to help patients with eye diseases, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, hematologic conditions, infectious diseases and rare diseases.

Regeneron is accelerating and improving the traditional drug development process through our proprietary VelociSuite^® technologies, such as VelocImmune^®, which uses unique genetically humanized mice to produce optimized fully human antibodies and bispecific antibodies, and through ambitious research initiatives such as the Regeneron Genetics Center^®, which is conducting one of the largest genetics sequencing efforts in the world.

For more information, please visit www.Regeneron.com or follow Regeneron on LinkedIn.