Epizyme, Inc. Appoints Jason P. Rhodes President

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Epizyme, Inc., (NASDAQ: EPZM) a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company creating innovative personalized therapeutics for patients with genetically defined cancers, announced today that Jason P. Rhodes, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, has been named President of Epizyme. Mr. Rhodes, who was previously Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will continue to be Chief Financial Officer and report to Robert J. Gould, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer.

"Jason joined Epizyme in March 2010 and has been instrumental in our growth and success," said Dr. Gould. "He has served as Chief Business Officer and Chief Financial Officer during his tenure and has been a key partner for me in building the business and charting our strategic course. I am pleased to recognize his many contributions with this promotion. I look forward to Jason's continued growth and leadership as part of our executive team at Epizyme."

Prior to joining Epizyme, from July 2007 to March 2010, Mr. Rhodes served as Vice President, Business Development at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALNY) where he drove the establishment and management of several key strategic alliances and contributed to the growth of the business in many ways. Prior to Alnylam, he was a founder and partner with Fidelity Biosciences, Fidelity Investments' biopharma venture capital group. Mr. Rhodes received a B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors, I congratulate Jason on his appointment as President," said David Mott, Lead Independent Director of Epizyme. "The strong partnership between Robert and Jason has helped the impressive leadership team and Epizyme as an organization build a unique company with world class science, outstanding business execution, and an innovative and dynamic strategy. Most importantly, we believe that we are on the cusp of translating our success to date into a family of important new therapeutics for patients with genetically defined cancers. We look forward to Jason's continued contributions to our growth and success and to improving the lives of cancer patients and their families."

"I am grateful for this recognition and honored to be a part of the strong leadership team at Epizyme," said Epizyme's new President, Jason P. Rhodes. "I look forward to continuing to collaborate with Robert and the entire Epizyme team to build value for shareholders and to deliver innovative new therapeutics to cancer patients."

About Epizyme, Inc.

Epizyme, Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company creating personalized therapeutics for patients with genetically defined cancers. Epizyme has built a proprietary product platform that the company uses to create small molecule inhibitors of a 96-member class of enzymes known as histone methyltransferases, or HMTs. HMTs are part of the system of gene regulation, referred to as epigenetics, that controls gene expression. Genetic alterations can result in changes to the activity of HMTs, making them oncogenic (cancer-causing). By focusing on the genetic drivers of cancers, Epizyme's targeted science seeks to match the right medicines with the right patients for a personalized approach to cancer treatment.

For more information, visit http://www.epizyme.com and connect with us on Twitter at @EpizymeRx.

SOURCE Epizyme, Inc.