Exhibit 99.1
Tenaya Therapeutics Announces the Addition of Dr. June Lee to its Board of Directors
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Nov. 22, 2021— Tenaya Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:TNYA), a biotechnology company with a mission to discover, develop and deliver curative therapies that address the underlying causes of heart disease, today announced changes to its Board of Directors including the addition of June Lee, M.D., and the transition of JJ Kang, Ph.D., who will be stepping down after five years of service.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Lee to our Board at an important inflection point as we continue our transition towards becoming a clinical-stage company,” said Faraz Ali, CEO of Tenaya. “Dr. Lee brings a wealth of highly relevant strategic and operational development experience to Tenaya and is well-positioned to support us in our mission to bring new hope to individuals and families fighting both rare and prevalent forms of heart disease.”
Dr. Lee was most recently Founder and CEO of Esker Therapeutics. She previously served as Executive Vice President, Chief Development Officer and Chief Operating Officer of MyoKardia from 2017 to 2020. In this role, Dr. Lee built and led a world-class global development organization to advance novel therapies for cardiomyopathies through clinical development. She was previously also therapeutic area head for early clinical development in cardiovascular, metabolism, respiratory, and infectious diseases at Genentech. She currently serves on the Advisory Board for Johns Hopkins University Center for Therapeutic Translation, serves as a Board Director for Eledon Pharmaceuticals Inc. and for GenEdit, and is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for Foresite Labs. Dr. Lee completed a Bachelor of Science in chemistry at Johns Hopkins University, an M.D. at the School of Medicine at the University of California, Davis, and her clinical training in internal medicine and pulmonary & critical care at UCLA and UCSF.
“I am very pleased to join Tenaya at such a pivotal time for the company and for the entire field of precision medicine therapies for heart disease,” said Dr. Lee. “I look forward to helping Tenaya realize the full potential of its differentiated science and capabilities in order to advance potentially transformative medicines through clinical development and towards future approvals.”
In addition, Dr. Kang has decided to resign from Tenaya’s Board to focus on her current role as CEO of Appia Bio and as a Venture Partner at The Column Group. Dr. Kang helped launch Tenaya in 2016 and has since served as a valued Board member. She also served in the capacity of interim Tenaya President for the first two years of the company’s history.