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Scientific Co-Founder James E. Bradner Steps Down from Board Following Appointment as President of NIBR

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Syros Pharmaceuticals, the industry pioneer in gene control, today announced the appointment of Marsha H. Fanucci to the company’s Board of Directors. Ms. Fanucci brings 25 years of experience in biopharmaceutical financial management and strategic business operations.

“With her extensive leadership and financial management experience, Marsha promises to be a tremendous asset to Syros as we advance to a clinical stage company and continue to build our drug development platform to continuously deliver transformative gene control medicines for patients with cancer and other difficult-to-treat diseases,” said Nancy Simonian, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Syros. “Marsha has a proven track record of formulating and implementing growth-oriented corporate strategies to build high-value biotech companies. We’re very pleased to have her on our board.” In addition, the Company announced that its scientific co-founder James E. (Jay) Bradner, M.D., has resigned from the Board, following his appointment as President of the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR).

“I want to thank Jay for his many contributions to Syros,” Dr. Simonian said. “He has made a lasting impact on the Company, helping shape a pioneering approach to gene control that serves as the foundation of our drug discovery and development efforts. We congratulate Jay on his new appointment, heading NIBR, a wonderful recognition of his talent as a leader and scientist.”

Ms. Fanucci served in a number of executive leadership positions at Millennium Pharmaceuticals from 2000 to 2009, including Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Strategy, Vice President of Finance and Strategy, and Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy. During her tenure, Ms. Fanucci directly contributed to a series of strategic processes, advanced Millennium to profitability and was instrumental in the acquisition by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company in 2008 for $8.8 billion. Previously, Ms. Fanucci was Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy at Genzyme Corp. and Vice President and Director at Arthur D. Little. Ms. Fanucci serves on the boards of directors of several biotech companies, including Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, FORMA Therapeutics, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals and Momenta Pharmaceuticals, and non-profit organization The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Care. Ms. Fanucci received a B.S. in pharmacy from West Virginia University Medical School and an M.B.A. from Northeastern University.

About Syros Pharmaceuticals

Syros Pharmaceuticals is a therapeutics company harnessing breakthroughs in gene control to revolutionize the treatment of cancer and other diseases. Syros’ proprietary platform identifies the master switches for disease genes, opening a whole new approach to novel therapeutics and biomarkers. The Company’s founders are pioneers in gene control research and translation. Co-founded by Flagship Ventures and ARCH Venture Partners, Syros Pharmaceuticals is located in Cambridge, Mass. For more information, visit www.syros.com.

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