Any forward-looking statements in this Amendment reflect our current views with respect to future events or to our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, those listed under Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in the Original Filing. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available in the future.
This Amendment also contains estimates, projections and other information concerning our industry, our business, and the markets for certain diseases, including data regarding the incidence and prevalence of certain medical conditions. Information that is based on estimates, forecasts, projections, market research or similar methodologies is inherently subject to uncertainties and actual events or circumstances may differ materially from events and circumstances reflected in this information. Unless otherwise expressly stated, we obtained this industry, business, market and other data from reports, research surveys, studies and similar data prepared by market research firms and other third parties, industry, medical and general publications, government data and similar sources.
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
The Board of Directors
Our bylaws provide that our business is to be managed by or under the direction of our Board of Directors (our "Board"). Our Board currently consists of four members, classified into two classes as follows: (1) Richard Shea and James Flynn constitute a class with a term ending at the 2025 annual meeting of stockholders and (2) Peter Barrett, Ph.D. and Edward Mathers constitute a class with a term ending at the 2026 annual meeting of stockholders. Set forth below are the names of our directors, their ages as of March 31, 2025. In addition, information about the specific experience, qualifications, attributes or skills that led to our Board’s conclusion at the time of filing of this Amendment that each person listed below should serve as a director is set forth below:
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
|
Age |
|
Position with the Company |
Peter Barrett, Ph.D. |
|
72 |
|
Chairman of the Board |
James Flynn |
|
44 |
|
Director |
Edward Mathers |
|
64 |
|
Director |
Richard P. Shea |
|
73 |
|
Director |
Our Board has reviewed the materiality of any relationship that each of our directors has with Synlogic, either directly or indirectly. Based upon this review, our Board has determined that the following members of the Board are “independent directors” as defined by the Nasdaq Stock Market: Peter Barrett, Ph.D., James Flynn, Edward Mathers, and Richard P. Shea,
Peter Barrett, Ph.D. has served as Chairman of our Board since the Merger closed on August 28, 2017, and prior to that time served as the Chairman of the Private Synlogic board of directors since March 2014. Dr. Barrett is a partner at Atlas Venture and has been involved in the creation of several novel therapeutic and drug discovery platform companies. He is also an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School, where he is the Faculty Chair of the Key Advisory Board of the Blavatnik Fellowship Program. Dr. Barrett currently serves on the board of Revvity and Obsidian Therapeutics. Prior to joining Atlas, Dr. Barrett was Co-founder, Executive Vice President, and Chief Business Officer of Celera Genomics, which announced the first successful sequencing of the human genome in 2001. While at Celera, Dr. Barrett led strategic alliances, acquisitions, and business strategy and helped launch it as a public company in 1999. Prior to founding Celera, Dr. Barrett held senior management positions at Applera, most recently serving as Vice President of corporate planning and business development. During his tenure, he ran several businesses and expanded the life science business through a series of licensing agreements, partnerships, and acquisitions. Dr. Barrett received a BS in chemistry from Lowell Technological Institute (now known as the University of Massachusetts, Lowell), and a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Northeastern University. He also completed Harvard Business School’s Management Development Program. The Board has concluded that Dr. Barrett possesses specific attributes that qualify him to serve as a member and chairman of the Board, including his extensive leadership, executive, managerial and business experience with life sciences companies, including experience in the formation, development and business strategy of multiple start-up companies in the life sciences sector.
James Flynn, CFA has served as a member of our Board since March 2024. Mr. Flynn is currently a Managing Member and Portfolio Manager of Nerium Capital LLC, an investment adviser he founded in January 2021. Nerium Capital LLC is the General Partner of Nerium Partners LP, a healthcare focused investment partnership. Mr. Flynn also currently serves as a Board Member for MEI Pharma, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company committed to developing novel and differentiated cancer therapies, and Ricebran Technologies, an innovative specialty ingredients company. From 2019 to 2020, Mr. Flynn was exploring business opportunities which ultimately led to the formation of Nerium Capital LLC. From 2017 to 2018, Mr. Flynn worked as a therapeutics analyst at Aptigon Capital (a Citadel Company), an investment firm. Prior to that, from 2003 to 2017, Mr. Flynn served in various roles at Amici Capital, LLC, an investment firm, including healthcare portfolio manager (2008 to 2017). From 2002 to 2003, Mr. Flynn worked in the credit research/high yield group at Putnam Investments, an investment firm. Mr. Flynn earned a S.B. degree in Management Science with a concentration in Finance and a minor in Economic Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Mr. Flynn is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder. The Board has concluded that Mr. Flynn possesses specific attributes that qualify him to serve as a member of our Board, including his experience with the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries and his broad life sciences industry knowledge.
Edward Mathers has served as a member of our Board since October 2012. Mr. Mathers previously served on the Private Synlogic board of directors since July 2014. Mr. Mathers is a General Partner at NEA, a private venture capital firm focusing on technology and healthcare investments. Mr. Mathers serves on the board of directors of the following publicly traded pharmaceutical companies: Trevi Therapeutics, Inc., Inozyme Pharma, Inc., Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc., OnKure Therapeutics, Inc., formerly known as Reneo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., MBX Biosciences, Inc. and Senti Biosciences, Inc. Mr. Mathers also serves on the board of directors of several privately held companies. Mr. Mathers previously served on the board of directors of the following publicly traded companies: ObsEva SA, Mirum Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Akouos, Inc., Lumos Pharma, Inc., and Ra Pharmaceuticals, Inc. From 2002 to 2008, Mr. Mathers served as Executive Vice President, Corporate Development and Venture at MedImmune, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, and led its venture capital subsidiary, MedImmune Ventures, Inc. Before joining MedImmune in 2002, Mr. Mathers was Vice President, Marketing and Corporate Licensing and Acquisitions at Inhale Therapeutic Systems, a biotechnology company. Previously, Mr. Mathers spent 15 years at Glaxo Wellcome, Inc. (GlaxoSmithKline), a pharmaceutical company, where he held various sales and marketing positions. Mr. Mathers received a B.S. in Chemistry from North Carolina State University. The Board has concluded that Mr. Mathers possesses specific attributes that qualify him to serve as a member of our Board, including his experience with the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries and his broad management experience.