Ambys Medicines Expands Board of Directors with Appointment of Jennifer Cook

-- Former GRAIL CEO and Roche/Genentech senior executive brings extensive product development and commercialization expertise to liver therapeutics pioneer --

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ambys Medicines, a cell and gene therapy company focused on advancing novel treatments to restore and regenerate liver function, today announced the appointment of Jennifer Cook to its Board of Directors. A highly respected biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry executive, Ms. Cook’s experience includes senior leadership roles globally and in the U.S. during her 25-year tenure at Roche Pharmaceuticals and Genentech, and also serving most recently as Chief Executive Officer at GRAIL, a healthcare company focused on the early detection of cancer. Ms. Cook is currently focused on providing advisory support to senior executives in the healthcare field.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jennifer to our board,” said Jeffrey Tong, Ph.D., Interim CEO and Executive Chairman of the Board at Ambys. “Ambys is pursuing novel cell and gene therapy approaches to bring new therapeutic options to patients with advanced liver diseases. As we embark on this ambitious goal, we are fortunate to be able to draw on Jennifer’s deep insights and experience in leading organizations, developing products, and commercializing new medicines. The company and the entire board look forward to partnering with Jennifer.”

“Advanced liver disease as a therapeutic area unfortunately hasn’t experienced the same pace of innovation that we’ve seen in other areas of drug development. Ambys is pursuing novel cell and gene therapies that I believe hold the potential to redirect that trajectory, shifting advanced liver disease to the forefront of scientific innovation,” said Ms. Cook. “I am truly excited to work hand in hand with Jeff, the Ambys team and my fellow Ambys board members as the company continues to progress its transformative medicines.”

Prior to serving as GRAIL’s CEO, Ms. Cook held a number of leadership positions with Roche/Genentech, including leading Roche Pharmaceuticals’ European commercial business, Global Clinical Operations, U.S. and Global Product Portfolio Management, a U.S. Immunology & Ophthalmology Business Unit, and Market Development. She was honored as the Woman of the Year by the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association in 2016 and was named one of the Most Influential Women in Business by The San Francisco Business Times in 2012. Ms. Cook holds a BA in Human Biology and MS in Biology from Stanford University, as well as an MBA from the Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley. Ms. Cook also serves on the Boards of Directors of Denali Therapeutics and BridgeBio Pharma.

About Ambys Medicines

Ambys Medicines is a cell and gene therapy company focused on discovering and developing regenerative and restorative therapies for patients with advanced liver disease. Ambys is pioneering the application of cell and gene therapy to meet the urgent need for novel treatments for those suffering from severe acute and chronic liver diseases. Ambys was launched in 2018 by Third Rock Ventures and Takeda Pharmaceuticals and is headquartered in South San Francisco, California. Visit us at ambys.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.