Imago BioSciences Appoints Wan-Jen Hong, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer

By: Imago BioSciences, Inc. via Business Wire

June 03, 2021 at 08:00 AM EDT

Appointment reflects commitment to advance the Imago clinical pipeline

Imago BioSciences, Inc. (“Imago”), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company discovering new medicines for the treatment of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), today announced the appointment of Wan-Jen Hong, M.D., as chief medical officer. Dr. Hong will be responsible for leading the clinical development of the Imago pipeline of therapies targeting LSD1 in various cancers and other bone marrow diseases. Dr. Hong joins Imago from Genentech, where she served as Group Medical Director in their late-stage clinical development group.

“I am delighted to welcome Wan-Jen to our team, and we look forward to her leadership and guidance as we continue to advance our pipeline of therapies to treat diseases of the bone marrow,” said Hugh Young Rienhoff, Jr., M.D., chief executive officer of Imago BioSciences. “Wan-Jen’s extensive background in hematology and oncology will be a strong asset for Imago as we complete our Phase 2 studies of bomedemstat for the treatment of myeloproliferative disorders, including essential thrombocythemia and myelofibrosis.”

Dr. Hong is a physician scientist with more than 10 years of clinical and scientific expertise in hematology and oncology disorders. In her most recent role at Genentech, Dr. Hong worked on the development of several molecules across multiple indications in hematology and oncology, and played a leading role in the indication expansion of venetoclax (VENCLEXTA®) in acute myeloid leukemia. Prior to Genentech, Dr. Hong was a clinical instructor in hematology at the Stanford University School of Medicine and is currently an adjunct clinical faculty member in its Division of Hematology. She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and biology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and completed both her medical doctorate and clinical training, including a hematology/oncology fellowship, at Stanford University.

“Imago has generated significant data on its lead asset bomedemstat in several indications,” said Dr. Wan-Jen Hong, chief medical officer, Imago BioSciences. “Patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms and other hematological disorders continue to face significant challenges despite the current treatments. I am excited to work with the Imago team to develop bomedemstat as a new treatment option for patients with unmet medical needs.”

About Imago BioSciences

Imago BioSciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing novel small molecule product candidates that target lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1), an enzyme that plays a central role in the production of blood cells in the bone marrow. Imago is focused on improving the quality and length of life for patients with cancer and bone marrow diseases. Bomedemstat, an orally available, small molecule inhibitor of LSD1, is the lead product candidate discovered by Imago for the treatment of certain myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), a family of related, chronic cancers of the bone marrow. Imago is evaluating Bomedemstat as a potentially disease-modifying therapy in two Phase 2 clinical trials for the treatment of essential thrombocythemia (ET) and myelofibrosis (MF). Bomedemstat has U.S. FDA Orphan Drug and Fast Track Designation for the treatment of ET and MF, Orphan Drug Designation for treatment of AML, and PRIME designation by the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of MF. Imago is backed by leading private, crossover and strategic investors including a fund managed by Blackstone Life Sciences, Frazier Healthcare Partners, Omega Funds, Farallon Capital Management, L.L.C., funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., and funds and accounts managed by Blackrock Advisors, LLC. The company is based in South San Francisco, California.

To learn more, visit: www.imagobio.com, www.myelofibrosisclinicalstudy.com, www.etclinicalstudy.com and follow us on Twitter @ImagoBioRx, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.