Press Release

CRISPR Therapeutics Announces the Retirement of Tyler Dylan-Hyde and Appointment of Shelby Walker as Head of Intellectual Property

ZUG, Switzerland and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing transformative gene-based medicines for serious diseases, today announced the retirement of Dr. Tyler Dylan-Hyde as Chief Legal Officer and the appointment of Shelby Walker as Head of Intellectual Property.

“Tyler joined CRISPR in its early stages and made significant contributions to the Company’s success during his tenure,” commented Samarth Kulkarni, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of CRISPR Therapeutics. “On behalf of CRISPR, I give Tyler our deepest thanks and wish him the very best.”

“At the same time, I am delighted to welcome Shelby Walker to CRISPR as we scale the Company for sustained growth and success,” said Kulkarni. “Shelby has deep expertise in the strategic management of intellectual property in the life sciences and a vision for protecting our future innovation, both of which will be critical in enhancing our leadership in the field of gene-editing.”

Shelby Walker is an accomplished intellectual property and legal executive in the life sciences. Prior to joining CRISPR, Ms. Walker was General Counsel at Gingko Bioworks, a synthetic biology company. Prior to that, Ms. Walker was Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Chief IP Counsel at Dyax Corporation. Before Dyax, Ms. Walker served as IP Counsel at Novo Nordisk and as Senior Patent Attorney at Zymogenetics, Inc. Ms. Walker has also served in a series of legal and intellectual property roles with increasing responsibility at Biogen Inc., Mintz Levin, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Genome Therapeutics. Shelby Walker holds a JD & Master of Law in Intellectual Property (LLM-IP) from the University of New Hampshire School of Law, a Master of Science, Biotechnology and a Master of Science, Regulatory Science from Johns Hopkins University and Bachelor of Science from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

About CRISPR Therapeutics

CRISPR Therapeutics is a leading gene editing company focused on developing transformative gene-based medicines for serious diseases using its proprietary CRISPR/Cas9 platform. CRISPR/Cas9 is a revolutionary gene editing technology that allows for precise, directed changes to genomic DNA. The Company has established a portfolio of therapeutic programs across a broad range of disease areas including hemoglobinopathies, oncology and rare diseases. To accelerate and expand its efforts, CRISPR Therapeutics has established strategic collaborations with leading companies including Bayer AG and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. CRISPR Therapeutics AG is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, with its wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, CRISPR Therapeutics, Inc., and R&D operations based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and business offices in London, United Kingdom. For more information, please visit www.crisprtx.com.

CRISPR Forward-Looking Statement

Certain statements set forth in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including, but not limited to, statements concerning: the timing of filing of clinical trial applications and INDs, any approvals thereof and timing of commencement of clinical trials, the intellectual property coverage and positions of the Company, its licensors and third parties, the sufficiency of the Company’s cash resources and the therapeutic value, development, and commercial potential of CRISPR/Cas-9 gene editing technologies and therapies. You are cautioned that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain. Although the Company believes that such statements are based on reasonable assumptions within the bounds of its knowledge of its business and operations, the forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and they are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk. Actual performance and results may differ materially from those projected or suggested in the forward-looking statements due to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, among others: uncertainties regarding the intellectual property protection for our technology and intellectual property belonging to third parties; uncertainties inherent in the initiation and completion of preclinical studies for the Company’s product candidates; availability and timing of results from preclinical studies; whether results from a preclinical trial will be predictive of future results of the future trials; expectations for regulatory approvals to conduct trials or to market products; and those risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K, and in any other subsequent filings made by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which are available on the SEC’s website at . Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made.

Media Contact:
Jennifer Paganelli
WCG on behalf of CRISPR
1 347-658-8290
jpaganelli@wcgworld.com

Investor Contacts:
Chris Erdman
617.307.7227
chris.erdman@crisprtx.com

Chris Brinzey
Westwicke Partners on behalf of CRISPR
339-970-2843
chris.brinzey@westwicke.com

CRISPR Therapeutics AG