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EnPlusOne Biosciences Welcomes Biotech Veteran, Jim Weissman, to Board of Directors

Business

EnPlusOne Biosciences Welcomes Biotech Veteran, Jim Weissman, to Board of Directors
Business

Business

EnPlusOne Biosciences Welcomes Biotech Veteran, Jim Weissman, to Board of Directors

2026-05-28 21:05 Last Updated At:21:20

WATERTOWN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 28, 2026--

EnPlusOne Biosciences, Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering enzymatic solutions for RNA therapeutic discovery and development, today announced the appointment of Jim Weissman, a highly respected life sciences executive, to its Board of Directors. His addition supports the company’s renewed 2026 focus on establishing the new standard in RNA synthesis. With Mr. Weissman’s appointment, Paxton Major, Managing Director at Northpond Ventures, will move to a Board Observer role.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260528449583/en/

“We are focused this year at EnPlusOne on important breakthroughs in enzymatic RNA synthesis, and we believe that Jim’s appointment to our Board will help us continue to lead the way in the field,” said Clare Murray, PhD, CEO. “The simplicity and elegance of our scalable solution address a very real need in the development of RNA therapeutics, and we plan to leverage our strength in novel modifications to access next-generation RNA therapeutics.”

She added, “RNA-driven therapeutics are expected to become the fastest growing modality in the next decade, providing new patient treatments as they move from addressing rare diseases to prevalent indications. This shift will drive significant global demand for RNA, and meeting that demand will require new manufacturing approaches such as EnPlusOne’s ezRNA™ platform, the first fully enzymatic synthesis platform designed to unlock scalable RNA synthesis.”

Jim Weissman Joins EnPlusOne Board

Mr. Weissman is principal of JBW Consulting, advising biopharmaceutical companies on business strategy and corporate development. He serves as an independent director for Cerberus Therapeutics and Telesis Bio. Previously, he spent more than a decade at Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, serving as EVP, COO, and CBO. Dicerna, a developer of RNA interference (RNAi) based medicines, was acquired by Novo Nordisk for $3.3 billion in 2021. During his tenure at Dicerna, the company expanded its GalXC RNAi platform to support nearly 20 development programs and formed six collaborations with Alexion, Alnylam, Boehringer Ingelheim, Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Roche, generating more than $1 billion in upfront, milestone, and related payments by the time of the acquisition. He also supported the company’s financings, including its 2014 IPO. Before joining Dicerna, he was vice president of business development at MannKind Corporation. He previously held business development and marketing roles at Pfizer in Tokyo and commercial and leadership positions at Pharmacia Biotech across the United States, Sweden, Japan, and the United Kingdom. He holds a B.S. in chemistry from Bates College.

“Jim’s experience is exceptionally well suited to EnPlusOne’s current plans for nurturing broader relationships within our industry, from the biggest industry leaders to the emerging growth firms,” said Steven Kasok, Chair of the EnPlusOne Board of Directors. “We greatly value his expertise, which is already enhancing how we evaluate our portfolio of opportunities to partner and collaborate with key industry participants. We look forward to continued benefits from Jim’s engagement with EnPlusOne as we drive our innovative technology and platform expansion.”

He added, “We are grateful for the contributions of Paxton Major, who will remain as a Board Observer. Northpond has provided tremendous support to EnPlusOne, and we continue to appreciate their insights.”

Added Mr. Weissman, “I’m very excited about the significant opportunity ahead of EnPlusOne. From my perspective, the team is in the early stages of a meaningful transformation in supplying the core building blocks to our scientific innovation, one that could drive substantial value and enable profound scientific discoveries to improve human health. I look forward to contributing to the company’s progress.”

About EnPlusOne Biosciences

EnPlusOne is enabling the future of RNA therapeutics. Its ezRNA™ platform is a next-generation enzymatic synthesis technology that leverages water-based, template-free reactions to manufacture high-quality RNA at scale. Capable of incorporating a wide range of natural and modified nucleotides, ezRNA™ is designed to meet the evolving needs of RNA therapeutic developers. Learn more at https://www.enplusonebio.com/.

Jim Weissman, Board member, EnPlusOne Biosciences

Jim Weissman, Board member, EnPlusOne Biosciences

GILGIL, Kenya (AP) — Flames ripped through a dormitory at a girls’ boarding school in central Kenya on Thursday, killing at least 16 students and injuring scores of others in the latest deadly school fire in the East African country. Police questioned surviving students about how it started.

The fire happened at the Utumishi Girls School, which has more than 800 students, in the Gilgil area of central Kenya, Education Minister Julius Ogamba said, adding that 79 students were injured in the disaster.

Detectives were questioning students to determine whether any wrongdoing triggered the fire, and Ogamba said authorities were trying to find out whether the school's fire safety manual had been adhered to.

The victims were not yet been identified, a source of anger and frustration for parents who gathered outside the ruined dormitory. Some of them angrily confronted police guarding the site, demanding to see the remains of still-uncollected victims.

Bernard Omwandho, a representative of the parents’ association, urged calm as the police investigation continued.

“Most of the parents who are still here are those whose daughters are being questioned,” he said, adding that he hoped that those being questioned will be “able to at least shed some light or give us a hint on what really transpired.”

The school is located about 120 kilometers (75 miles) northwest of the capital, Nairobi. The government-owned secondary school is managed and sponsored by the Kenya Police Service. Many of the students are the daughters of police officers.

Elizabeth Rioba, a mother of two girls at the school, said she was relieved to see her daughters but expressed concern because one of the girls saw her friend get stuck while trying to jump out of a window.

“She’s very traumatized, but I’m relieved she’s OK and I’m sad for all these children who have died,” she told The Associated Press.

The Kenya Red Cross said several students were evacuated and are receiving treatment in various hospitals. The group said it sent psychological support teams for students and their families.

Kenyan President William Ruto expressed his condolences in a statement. “No words can truly ease the pain of losing young lives filled with promise, hope, and dreams for the future,” Ruto said. “As a nation, we mourn with the parents, guardians, teachers, and fellow students who are enduring this unimaginable tragedy.”

Fires at schools have been a cause of concern for education officials in East Africa, where classrooms and dormitories are often crowded, and there’s usually no firefighting equipment in place. Officials sometimes cite poor electrical connections as sparking blazes.

In 2024, 21 students burned to death in a school fire in central Kenya. Ruto declared three days of mourning.

Kenya’s deadliest school fire in recent history occurred in 2001 when 67 students died in a dormitory fire in Machakos County.

In 2017, 10 students died in a school fire in Nairobi. A student was charged with murder.

Police officers stand near the scene of an early morning fire outbreak at Utumishi Girls School in the Gilgil area, central Kenya, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

Police officers stand near the scene of an early morning fire outbreak at Utumishi Girls School in the Gilgil area, central Kenya, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

An injured student is evacuated following an early morning fire outbreak at Utumishi Girls School in the Gilgil area, central Kenya, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

An injured student is evacuated following an early morning fire outbreak at Utumishi Girls School in the Gilgil area, central Kenya, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

An injured student is evacuated following an early morning fire outbreak at Utumishi Girls School in the Gilgil area, central Kenya, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

An injured student is evacuated following an early morning fire outbreak at Utumishi Girls School in the Gilgil area, central Kenya, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

An injured student is evacuated following an early morning fire outbreak at Utumishi Girls School in the Gilgil area, central Kenya, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

An injured student is evacuated following an early morning fire outbreak at Utumishi Girls School in the Gilgil area, central Kenya, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

An injured student is evacuated following an early morning fire outbreak at Utumishi Girls School in the Gilgil area, central Kenya, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

An injured student is evacuated following an early morning fire outbreak at Utumishi Girls School in the Gilgil area, central Kenya, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

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