Arcturus Therapeutics Appoints Mark Herbert as Interim President

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arcturus Therapeutics Ltd. (NASDAQ:ARCT), a leading RNA medicines company, today announced that Mark R. Herbert, Vice President of Business Development and Alliance Management, has been appointed to serve as Interim President, effective immediately.

This appointment follows the decision of the Arcturus Board of Directors to terminate Joseph E. Payne as President and Chief Executive Officer. Arcturus noted that this announcement is not related to Arcturus’ operational performance, ongoing programs, financial condition or financial reporting.

“Mark is a seasoned biotechnology leader who has gained a deep understanding of our strategy, business and partnerships since joining the company in 2015,” said Stuart Collinson Ph.D., Executive Chairman of the Arcturus Board of Directors.  “We are confident that Mark, working with me, the board and the management team, will help us to achieve our objective of developing innovative RNA medicines with the potential to transform the lives of patients with serious diseases.”

Mr. Herbert said, “I am committed to working closely with the board and management team to continue to advance our preclinical programs, actively work with our strategic partners and ensure the ongoing success of the company.  Arcturus has an outstanding team of dedicated employees. We are well-positioned as we continue our momentum and advance our goal of delivering innovative nucleic acid therapeutics to patients with rare diseases, Hepatitis B, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cystic fibrosis, and other serious indications.”

About Mark Herbert

Mr. Herbert joined Arcturus in 2015, and previously served as Vice President of Business Development and Alliance Management. He previously was Head of U.S. Business Development and Sales at STA Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., WuXi AppTec’s small molecule development and manufacturing division, where he was responsible for all North American business development and marketing activities.  Prior to WuXi AppTec, Mr. Herbert served as Director of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Aragon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2013. Mr. Herbert’s background includes over 15 years of experience in business and technical development of large and small molecules working across a number of different platforms and therapeutic areas.  He is an author or inventor on over 35 peer-reviewed manuscripts and patents and has led or contributed to the submission of 13 investigational new drug (IND) applications and one new drug application (NDA).

About Arcturus Therapeutics Ltd.

Founded in 2013 and based in San Diego, Arcturus Therapeutics Ltd. (NASDAQ:ARCT) is an RNA medicines company with enabling technologies – UNA Oligomer chemistry and LUNAR™ lipid-mediated delivery. Arcturus' diverse pipeline of RNA therapeutics includes programs pursuing rare diseases, Hepatitis B, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cystic fibrosis, and vaccines. Arcturus’ versatile RNA therapeutics platforms can be applied toward multiple types of RNA medicines including small interfering RNA, messenger RNA, replicon RNA, antisense RNA, microRNA and gene editing therapeutics. Arcturus owns LUNAR lipid-mediated delivery and Unlocked Nucleomonomer Agent (UNA) technology including UNA Oligomers, which are covered by its extensive patent portfolio (120 patents and patent applications, issued in the U.S., Europe, Japan, China and other countries). Arcturus’ proprietary UNA technology can be used to target individual genes in the human genome, as well as viral genes, and other species for therapeutic purposes. Arcturus’ commitment to the development of novel RNA therapeutics has led to partnerships with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, Inc., Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Synthetic Genomics Inc., CureVac AG and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics Inc. For more information, visit www.ArcturusRx.com, the content of which is not incorporated herein by reference.

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