Scholar Rock Announces Appointment of Leading Fibrosis Expert Dr. Scott L. Friedman to Scientific Advisory Board

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., January 4, 2016 – Scholar Rock, a biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing drugs that selectively target supracellular activation of growth factors in the disease microenvironment, announced today the appointment of Scott L. Friedman, MD, a renowned clinical researcher in the field of fibrotic diseases, to the company’s Scientific Advisory Board.

Dr. Friedman is Professor of Medicine, Dean for Therapeutic Discovery and Chief of the Division of Liver Diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York. He has performed pioneering research into the underlying causes of scarring, or fibrosis, associated with chronic liver disease, which has opened up biological understanding to design new therapeutic interventions for patients and led to the advancement of novel anti-fibrotic therapies for liver disease into clinical trials. He has received numerous awards and distinctions for his work including the China Friendship Award presented by the Premier of China in 2014, the International Achievement Prize of the European Association for the Study of Liver Diseases in 2012, and the Hans Popper International Liver Research Prize in 2003.

“Scholar Rock is delighted to have Dr. Friedman join our Scientific Advisory Board. He is a true leader in the field of fibrosis as a researcher and clinician,” said Timothy Springer, PhD, co-founder of Scholar Rock and co-chair of the Scientific Advisory Board. “Dr. Friedman and I have served together as advisors to the pharmaceutical industry, and so I am well acquainted with the deep insights he brings into the causes of fibrosis and his expertise in translating basic science into novel therapeutics. His unique perspective will be highly valued as we pursue opportunities for Scholar Rock’s supracellular activation platform to address unmet needs in fibrosis.”

“Significant knowledge concerning the role of growth factor signaling in the development and progression of fibrosis has developed in recent years. However, traditional therapeutic approaches to targeting these pathways have not fulfilled their clinical promise,” said Dr. Friedman. “Highly targeted modulators are an innovative way to address these critical growth factors that offer a promising new approach for improving treatment outcomes for patients.”

Dr. Friedman joins the current members of Scholar Rock’s Scientific Advisory Board, who collectively represent scientific authorities in innovative therapeutic science and the biology of protein growth factor signaling: Dr. Springer (company co-founder; Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School); Leonard I. Zon, MD (company co-founder; Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School); Barry Coller, MD (Rockefeller University); Joan Massagué, PhD (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center); Daniel Rifkin, PhD (New York University Langone Medical Center); Lynn Sakai, PhD (Oregon Health & Sciences University and Portland Shriners Research Center); and Akshay Vaishnaw, MD, PhD (Alnylam Pharmaceuticals).

About Supracellular Activation
Scholar Rock was founded on unique insights into the mechanism of supracellular activation of growth factors, a newly elucidated mechanism by which nature regulates growth factor activation in complex disease microenvironments. Through modulation of supracellular activation, highly specific and localized efficacy at the site of disease can be achieved, overcoming the challenges that have limited the traditional approach of inhibiting growth factors systemically. Scholar Rock is the first company to exploit this mechanism to discover and develop a pipeline of potential best-in-class therapeutic candidates.

About Scholar Rock
Scholar Rock is a biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing a novel class of biologic therapies that target supracellular activation of growth factors in the disease microenvironment. The Company’s initial proprietary and partnered drug discovery programs target specific growth factors which are present in the microenvironments of significant diseases, including fibrosis, musculoskeletal diseases, immuno-oncology and autoimmune diseases. Scholar Rock was founded upon discoveries made by its scientific founders, Professors Timothy Springer, PhD, and Leonard Zon, MD, of Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, related to the molecular mechanisms of supracellular activation. The company is backed by leading investors, including Polaris Partners, Timothy Springer, ARCH Venture Partners, Fidelity Investments, EcoR1 Capital, The Kraft Group, and Cormorant Asset Management.

Investor Contact:
Stephanie Ascher
Stern Investor Relations, Inc.
Tel: 212-362-1200
stephanie@sternir.com

Media Contact:
Kathryn Morris
The Yates Network
Tel: 845-635-9828
kathryn@theyatesnetwork.com