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BERKELEY, Calif., Jan. 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Caribou Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRBU), a leading clinical-stage CRISPR genome-editing biopharmaceutical company, today announced the appointment of Sri Ryali as chief financial officer, effective immediately. Mr. Ryali brings 20 years of finance and commercial experience in the biopharmaceutical industry to his role, and he will be responsible for the strategic leadership of the corporate finance, investor relations, and corporate communications functions. He will report to Rachel Haurwitz, PhD, Caribou’s president and chief executive officer.
“I am excited to welcome Sri to Caribou at the beginning of this pivotal year for our organization as we advance four clinical-stage programs for hematologic malignancies and autoimmune diseases and plan to disclose multiple datasets in 2025,” said Dr. Haurwitz. “Sri’s leadership experience at biopharmaceutical companies across all stages of drug development and commercialization will be valuable as we execute on our plans and prepare for the next steps for our programs.”
Most recently, Mr. Ryali served as the chief financial officer of Codexis, Inc., a publicly traded enzyme engineering company. Previously, he served as chief financial officer of Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc., then a publicly traded, commercial-stage company. Previously at Aimmune Therapeutics, Inc., Mr. Ryali held roles of increasing responsibility, most recently as vice president of finance. Earlier in his career, he worked at Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Amgen Inc. in finance-related positions of increasing responsibility. Mr. Ryali earned an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a double major in economics and microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics.
“Caribou’s leadership in developing CRISPR genome-edited cell therapies and the current momentum across the pipeline continue to stand out in the biotech landscape,” said Mr. Ryali. “I look forward to working closely with teams across this mission-driven organization as we focus on delivering off-the-shelf CAR-T cell therapies to patients with devastating diseases who need readily available and more broadly accessible treatment options.”
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8d7c3f3b-b81a-4d70-81b9-76bd2fe84c9f
About Caribou’s novel next-generation CRISPR platform
CRISPR genome editing uses easily designed, modular biological tools to make DNA changes in living cells. There are two basic components of Class 2 CRISPR systems: the nuclease protein that cuts DNA and the RNA molecule(s) that guide the nuclease to generate a site-specific, double-stranded break, leading to an edit at the targeted genomic site. CRISPR systems are capable of editing unintended genomic sites, known as off-target editing, which may lead to harmful effects on cellular function and phenotype. In response to this challenge, Caribou has developed CRISPR hybrid RNA-DNA guides (chRDNAs; pronounced “chardonnays”) that direct substantially more precise genome editing compared to all-RNA guides. Caribou is deploying the power of its Cas12a chRDNA technology to carry out high efficiency multiple edits, including multiplex gene insertions, to develop CRISPR-edited therapies.