SQZ Biotechnologies (NYSE: SQZ), focused on unlocking the full potential of cell therapies for multiple therapeutic areas, today announced the appointments of Bernard Coulie, M.D., Ph.D., and Patrick Vink, M.D., to its board of directors, adding global commercial and clinical development expertise.

"We are thrilled to have Bernard and Patrick join our Board," said Armon Sharei, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Founder of SQZ Biotechnologies. "As we execute on our clinical trials and look to broaden our pipeline to address multiple disease areas with SQZ's novel cell therapies, their experience in the global market and managing clinical development programs will be tremendously valuable."

"Adding these talented leaders to our board strengthens our entry into the clinic and our focus on patient care," said Amy Schulman, Chair of the Board of Directors at SQZ Biotechnologies. "Bernard's and Patrick's healthcare and biotechnology experience will provide valuable support as the company grows. We also want to thank exiting board member Eric Moessinger, Partner at ND Capital, and acknowledge his counsel and support from the early days of SQZ through our public offering."

Bernard Coulie, M.D., Ph.D., has more than 20 years of experience in drug development and company formation and growth. He is currently President & CEO of Pliant Therapeutics. Prior to this role, he cofounded Belgium-based ActoGeniX and served as CEO from 2006 until its acquisition in 2015. Prior to cofounding ActoGeniX, Dr. Coulie held positions with increasing responsibilities in drug discovery and clinical development at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development Europe. Dr. Coulie is currently board chair at a biotechnology company in the Netherlands and has held board seats in other companies utilizing a range of technologies.

Patrick Vink, M.D., has over 30 years of experience as a senior executive in the life sciences industry, including broad international expertise. Dr. Vink previously served as Executive Vice President at Cubist, Head of Global Biopharmaceuticals for the Sandoz division of the Novartis Group, Vice President of International Business for Biogen Inc., and Head of Worldwide Marketing, Cardiovascular and Thrombosis at Sanofi-Synthelabo Ltd. He was also a member of the Executive Committee of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations. Dr. Vink is currently board chair or director in biotechnology companies in Denmark, Switzerland, U.K., and the U.S. and has experience across a range of distinct technology platforms.

About SQZ Biotechnologies 

SQZ Biotechnologies is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on unlocking the full potential of cell therapies for patients around the world and has active programs in Oncology, Autoimmune and Infectious Diseases, and additional exploratory initiatives to support future pipeline growth. The company's proprietary Cell Squeeze? technology offers the unique ability to deliver multiple biological materials into many patient cell types to engineer what we believe can be a broad range of potential therapeutics. With demonstrated production timelines under 24 hours and the opportunity to eliminate preconditioning and lengthy hospital stays, our approach could significantly broaden the therapeutic range and accessibility of cell therapies. The company's first therapeutic applications seek to generate target-specific immune responses, both in activation for the treatment of solid tumors and infectious diseases, and in immune tolerance for the treatment of unwanted immune reactions and autoimmune diseases.