SAN DIEGO, July 31, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- aTyr Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: LIFE), a biotherapeutics company engaged in
the discovery and development of innovative medicines based on novel immunological pathways, today announced that Jill Broadfoot
has joined aTyr as Chief Financial Officer.
“We are delighted to welcome Jill to the aTyr team. She elevates our executive team’s leadership capabilities with her strong
financial and operational background and proven track record in our industry,” said Sanjay Shukla, M.D., M.S., President and CEO of
aTyr. “As a clinical development and early-stage research company, she will lead us as we diligently manage our finances and
execute on our strategy with a focus on value creation.”
“I am impressed with the rigorous approach aTyr has employed in building a strong scientific foundation and mechanistic
understanding of their proprietary and novel biology. This is exemplified by the discovery of the neuropilin-2 receptor and the
extensive translational science recently conducted to de-risk the upcoming Phase 2 trial for ATYR1923 for the treatment of
interstitial lung disease,” said Ms. Broadfoot. “It is an exciting time to join aTyr and their experienced management team as we
work to deliver new potential therapeutics to patients.”
Prior to joining aTyr, from January 2017 to July 2018, Ms. Broadfoot served as Chief Financial Officer of Emerald Health
Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Emerald Health Bioceuticals Inc. where she was responsible for establishing operations for the U.S.-based
pharmaceutical and bioceuticals entities as well as the establishment of operations, corporate governance, finance and accounting
and investor relations functions, among others. Prior to Emerald Health, Ms. Broadfoot served as Vice President, U.S. Corporate
Controller at GW Pharmaceuticals plc, from May 2016 to January 2017. While at GW Pharmaceuticals, her responsibilities included
establishing U.S. commercial operations and implementing U.S. public company financial and accounting standards in connection with
the transfer of corporate operations from the U.K. to the U.S. Prior to joining GW Pharmaceuticals, Ms. Broadfoot served as Chief
Financial Officer of Vical Inc., from October 2004 to March 2013, where she had oversight of finance, investor relations,
manufacturing, information technology, human resources, and business development. Before joining Vical, Ms. Broadfoot held various
positions at DJO Global, Inc., most recently as Vice President of Finance. Ms. Broadfoot also served as an audit manager at Ernst &
Young LLP. Ms. Broadfoot holds a B.S. in business administration and accounting from San Diego State University and is a Certified
Public Accountant.
In connection with Ms. Broadfoot’s appointment, aTyr granted Ms. Broadfoot an option to purchase 200,000 shares of aTyr’s common
stock with an exercise price of $0.8151 per share, the closing price per share of aTyr’s common stock as reported by NASDAQ on July
30, 2018, the effective date of the grant and the start date of Ms. Broadfoot's employment. The option is a non-qualified stock
option and vests over a period of four years, with 25% vesting on the one year anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75%
vesting on a monthly basis over three years, subject to Ms. Broadfoot's continuous employment through each vesting date. This award
was granted as an inducement material to Ms. Broadfoot entering into employment with aTyr in accordance with NASDAQ Stock Market
Rule 5635(c)(4).
About aTyr
aTyr is a clinical-stage biotechnology company engaged in the discovery and clinical development of innovative medicines using
its knowledge of tRNA synthetase biology. aTyr is focused on the therapeutic translation of the Resokine pathway, comprised of
extracellular proteins derived from the histidyl tRNA synthetase (HARS) gene family. aTyr’s clinical stage ATYR1923 candidate
augments the Resokine pathway and is designed to temper immune engagement in interstitial lung diseases. aTyr has built an
intellectual property estate, to protect its pipeline, comprising over 250 issued patents or allowed patent applications that are
owned or exclusively licensed, including over 300 potential protein compositions derived from tRNA synthetase genes. For more
information, please visit http://www.atyrpharma.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Litigation Reform Act. Forward-looking
statements are usually identified by the use of words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,”
“plans,” “projects,” “seeks,” “should,” “will,” and variations of such words or similar expressions. We intend these
forward-looking statements to be covered by such safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements and are making this
statement for purposes of complying with those safe harbor provisions. These forward-looking statements, including statements
regarding the potential therapeutic benefits and applications of our product candidates; our ability to successfully advance our
pipeline or product candidates, undertake certain development activities (such as the initiation of clinical trials, clinical trial
enrollment, the conduct of clinical trials and the announcement of top-line results) and accomplish certain development goals, and
the timing of such events; and the scope and strength of our intellectual property portfolio. These forward-looking statements also
reflect our current views about our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and prospects, which are based on the information
currently available to us and on assumptions we have made. Although we believe that our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies
and prospects, as reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements, are reasonable, we can give no assurance that the
plans, intentions, expectations or strategies will be attained or achieved. Furthermore, actual results may differ materially from
those described in these forward-looking statements and will be affected by a variety of risks and factors that are beyond our
control including, without limitation, risks associated with the discovery, development and regulation of our product candidates,
the risk that we may cease or delay preclinical or clinical development activities for any of our existing or future product
candidates for a variety of reasons (including difficulties or delays in patient enrollment in planned clinical trials), and the
risk that we may not be able to raise the additional funding required for our business and product development plans, as well as
those risks set forth in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in our other SEC filings.
Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
Contact:
Mark Johnson
Sr. Director, Investor Relations
mjohnson@atyrpharma.com
858-223-1163
