HOUSTON, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Salarius Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SLRX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company targeting cancers caused by dysregulated gene expression, today announced that its Board of Directors has unveiled nominations and updates to the Board in advance of the company’s 2020 annual meeting of stockholders scheduled for June 19, 2020. These include the following:

• Jonathan Lieber, Managing Director, Danforth Advisors, to be nominated as a new, independent director of the Board;
• David Arthur, President and CEO of Salarius, and Bruce J. McCreedy, Ph.D., to be nominated for re-election to the Board; and
• William “Bill” McVicar, Ph.D., has been named as the new Chairman of the Board.

“This is an important time for Salarius as we anticipate the potential for multiple value building events throughout 2020 and beyond. In anticipation of these opportunities, the Board of Directors is seeking to enhance the skills and independence of its directorship, and we look forward to confirmation of these nominations by vote at our annual meeting of stockholders,” said Bill McVicar, Director and Chairman of the Board. “Chief among the nominations being proposed for stockholder consideration is the addition of a new independent director, Jonathan Lieber. If elected, Mr. Lieber will bring more than thirty years of life science industry and financial experience to the Board and enable us to increase the number of our independent directors, an ongoing mandate of the Board. If elected, Jon will serve on both the Audit Committee and the Governance and Nominating Committee.”

Jonathan Northrup, a founder of Salarius Pharmaceuticals, LLC and who has served as chairman since the company’s inception in 2011, will leave the Board at the end of his term in June 2020. “Jon’s vision and leadership have been instrumental to Salarius’ growth and success to date, and we are grateful for his contributions,” said David Arthur, Salarius President and CEO. “Under Jon’s direction as the company’s first CEO and then as chairman, Salarius raised significant non-dilutive financing, advanced its lead drug candidate, Seclidemstat, from the laboratory into the clinic, and completed our merger with Flex Pharma, resulting in the listing of our stock on Nasdaq. These developments have elevated our visibility among investors and helped us provide the resources necessary to evaluate Seclidemstat as a potential treatment for Ewing sarcoma and other hard-to-treat cancers, creating hope for patients suffering from these diseases. We wish Jon well as he moves on to concentrate on other opportunities in his portfolio.”

Mr. Arthur continued, “I am excited by the prospect of adding Jonathan Lieber to the Board. With almost three decades of life science industry experience, Jon would be a tremendous addition to the Salarius Board, bringing deep expertise and a strong, independent perspective to the director role. We look forward to benefitting from his combination of financial and capital markets knowledge and business acumen, including significant experience and knowledge of the biopharmaceutical industry accumulated as a chief financial officer for several emerging and growth-stage companies.”

About Jonathan Lieber
Jonathan Lieber has almost 30 years of experience in financial and executive management at emerging and growth-stage life sciences companies, as well as in investment banking. As a chief financial officer, Mr. Lieber has helped raise more than $300 million of equity and debt in public and private offerings, including a $110 million initial public offering at Altus Pharmaceuticals, and led myriad strategic and business development transactions, including the successful sale of Xcellerex to GE Healthcare. Mr. Lieber currently serves as Managing Director, New England for Danforth Advisors, a consulting firm providing operational accounting and finance support, together with CFO services, for private and public life science companies. Previously, he served as CFO of Histogenics Corporation, a publicly traded cell therapy company developing products for the orthopedics market. Mr. Lieber also served as CFO of Metamark Genetics, Inc., and CFO and Treasurer of Repligen Corporation. Previously, Mr. Lieber worked as an investment banker for almost 10 years, during which time he originated and executed on numerous corporate financings and M&A transactions at SG Cowen and Salomon Brothers. Mr. Lieber earned a B.S. in Business Administration and Finance from Boston University and was awarded a M.B.A. in Finance from New York University Stern School of Business.

About Salarius Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Salarius Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage oncology company targeting the epigenetic causes of cancers and is developing treatments for patients that need them the most. Epigenetics refers to the regulatory system that affects gene expression. Salarius’ lead candidate, Seclidemstat, is currently in clinical development for treating Ewing sarcoma, for which it has received Fast Track Designation, Orphan Drug Designation and Rare Pediatric Disease Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Salarius is also developing Seclidemstat for a number of cancers, with a second Phase 1/2 clinical study targeting advanced solid tumors, including prostate, breast and ovarian cancers.