Mersana Therapeutics Named a "Fierce 15" Biotech Company for 2012

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Mersana Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing its Fleximer® antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) platform and pipeline of small molecule Fleximer conjugates, announced today that the editors of FierceBiotech have selected the Company as one of the Fierce 15 for 2012, designating it as one of the most promising private companies in the biotechnology industry. Every year FierceBiotech evaluates hundreds of private companies for its annual Fierce 15 list, which is based on a variety of factors such as the strength of its technology, partnerships, venture backers and a competitive market position.

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"Mersana's Fleximer platform is clinically validated and now offers a new technology for generating antibody-drug conjugates, one of the hottest fields in drug development today," says FierceBiotech Editor Ryan McBride. "The Company's fresh round of financing led by NEA and earlier partnership with Endo Pharmaceuticals should help propel its antibody-drug conjugates toward the clinic in the years ahead. We'll be watching its progress."

"We are honored to be recognized as a Fierce 15 company, as we continue to advance our drug pipeline and Fleximer-based platform initiatives internally and through collaborations," said Nicholas Bacopoulos, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Mersana. "With continued support from our partners and investors, we are developing next-generation drug conjugates to bring patients new therapeutic options with tremendous potential."

The 2012 Fierce 15 companies will be recognized today at the BioPharm America conference in Boston. A complete list of "Fierce 15" companies – the online newsletter's tenth annual selection – is available online at www.fiercebiotech.com.

About FierceBiotech

FierceBiotech is the biotech industry's daily monitor - a free email newsletter and web resource providing the latest biotech news, articles, and resources related to clinical trials, drug discovery, FDA approval and regulation, biotech company deals and more. More than 100,000 top biotech professionals rely on FierceBiotech for an insider briefing on the day's top stories. Sign up is free at www.fiercebiotech.com.

About Mersana

Mersana engineers novel drug conjugates that maximize the potential of new and established therapeutic classes. Utilizing its proprietary conjugation technology, which is comprised of the Fleximer^® polymer and a broad array of customizable linker chemistries, Mersana is developing a portfolio of next-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with superior properties not found with other ADC technologies.  Mersana is currently working with a number of top Pharma companies to develop next generation Fleximer-ADCs and most recently announced a $270 million collaboration with Endo Pharmaceuticals in March, 2012. The company is also advancing its own pipeline of next-generation drugs with best-in-class potential to address unmet needs and improve patient outcomes in multiple oncology indications. Mersana was founded by PureTech Ventures, LLC and a group of leading academics and clinicians.

For more information, visit www.mersana.com.

Fleximer^® is a trademark of Mersana Therapeutics, Inc.

SOURCE Mersana Therapeutics, Inc.