13 February 2019 - - US-based synthetic biology specialist Synlogic, Inc., (NASDAQ: SYBX) has appointed Patricia N. Hurter, Ph.D., senior vice president of pharmaceutical and preclinical sciences at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., to its board of directors, the company said.

Hurter has been senior vice president at Vertex since 2011, during which time her responsibilities grew to include all CMC and preclinical development activities of Vertex's R and D portfolio, as well as the internal GMP manufacturing facility that provides drug substance and product for clinical development and commercial supply.

From 2013 to 2014, she served as Interim Head of Global Regulatory Affairs at Vertex and oversaw the submission of the new drug application for Orkambi, as well as several label expansions for Kalydeco.

She has played a leadership role in the development and commercialization of 4 transformative therapies for Vertex: Incivek, Kalydeco, Orkambi and Symdeko.

Prior to joining Vertex, Hurter was director, Formulation Design and Characterization for Merck where she was a key member of the early development team for Januvia, a treatment for Type II diabetes.

A respected thought leader in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Hurter is a frequent contributor to many scientific publications. She serves on the Vertex Research and Development and Operating Committees and is the founder and executive sponsor of "IWILL," a Vertex employee network devoted to the advancement of women leaders.

Hurter also serves as a member of the board of Trustees of Harvard Conservation Trust.

She holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an M.S. in mechanical engineering from West Virginia University and earned a B.Sc. in chemical engineering, cum laude, from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa.

Synlogic is pioneering the development of a novel class of living medicines, Synthetic Biotic medicines, based on its proprietary drug development platform. Synlogic leverages the tools and principles of synthetic biology to genetically engineer beneficial microbes to perform or deliver critical functions missing or damaged due to disease.

Synthetic Biotic medicines are designed to act locally and have a systemic effect to address disease in patients.

Synlogic's two lead programmes, SYNB1020 and SYNB1618, are orally administered and target hyperammonemia as a result of liver damage or genetic disease, and phenylketonuria, respectively.

Synlogic is also developing SYNB1891 as an intratumorally-administered Synthetic Biotic medicine for the treatment of cancer. In addition, the company is leveraging the broad potential of its platform to create additional Synthetic Biotic medicines for the treatment of liver disease, as well as inflammatory and immune disorders including Synlogic's collaboration with AbbVie to develop Synthetic Biotic-based treatments for inflammatory bowel disease.