LeonaBio Enhances Board of Directors with Appointments of Fred Callori, J.D., Natalie Holles and Peter B. Silverman, J.D.
BOTHELL, Wash., May 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LeonaBio, Inc. (NASDAQ:LONA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of novel therapeutics for diseases with high unmet medical needs, today announced the appointment of Fred Callori, J.D., Natalie Holles, and Peter B. Silverman, J.D. to its Board of Directors, effective as of May 5, 2026. The company also announced that John Fluke, Jr., who has served on the Board of Directors since 2014, retired effective May 4, 2026.
"We are delighted to welcome Fred, Natalie, and Peter to LeonaBio's Board of Directors," said Mark Litton, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of LeonaBio. "Collectively, they bring significant drug development experience across different oncology and neurology settings, proven leadership in corporate strategy and operational execution, and capital markets expertise. Their backgrounds and capabilities are directly aligned with our clinical focus and will be instrumental as we advance our pipeline and position the company for its next phase of growth."
"On behalf of the Board of Directors and management team, I would also like to express our sincere appreciation to John Fluke for his thoughtful counsel and dedicated service over the past decade. His contributions have helped shape LeonaBio into the company it is today," added Dr. Litton.
About the new Board of Directors members:
Fred Callori, J.D.
Mr. Callori has served as a Partner and Managing Director at Perceptive Advisors LLC, an investment firm that specializes in investing in biotechnology stocks, since January 2018. In addition, Mr. Callori served as Senior Partner at Xontogeny, LLC, a life sciences accelerator, from January 2023 to December 2024. Prior to that, Mr. Callori served as Executive and Senior Vice President, Corporate Development of Xontogeny from September 2017 to December 2022. From 1998 to August 2017, Mr. Callori was a Partner in the Life Science and Emerging Companies practices of Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP. From January 2021 to January 2026, Mr. Callori served on the Board of Directors of Astria Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that was publicly held until January 2026. From August 2021 to May 2024, Mr. Callori served on the Board of Directors of Landos Biopharma, a biotechnology company that was publicly held until May 2024. Mr. Callori holds a J.D. from Boston University School of Law and a B.A. in Economics from Binghamton University.
Natalie Holles
Ms. Holles has served as the Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors of Aura Biosciences, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, since April 2026. Ms. Holles served as the Chief Executive Officer of Third Harmonic Bio, a biopharmaceutical company, from August 2021 to December 2025. From January 2020 through March 2021, she served as President and Chief Executive Officer at Audentes Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on genetic medicines, from January 2020 through March 2021, and prior to that served as its President and Chief Operating Officer beginning in May 2018 and Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer beginning in August 2015. Previously, Ms. Holles served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development at Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc., a rare disease pharmaceutical company, from June 2013 through its acquisition by Horizon Pharma, plc in May 2015. From August 2012 until June 2013, Ms. Holles served as the Executive Vice President, Corporate Development at Immune Design, Inc., an immunotherapy company. Earlier in her career, Ms. Holles served as the Vice President, Business Development at KAI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which was acquired by Amgen in 2012, and previously held corporate development and commercial roles at InterMune, Inc (acquired by Roche) and Genentech, Inc. Ms. Holles also served on the Board of Directors of Day One Biopharmaceuticals from January 2021 to April 2026, Third Harmonic Bio from August 2021 to December 2025, Rubius Therapeutics, Inc. from March 2019 to August 2022, and Allakos Inc., a biotechnology company, from December 2020 to July 2021. Ms. Holles holds an A.B. in Human Biology from Stanford University and an M.A. in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado, Boulder, where she was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Predoctoral Fellow.
Peter B. Silverman, J.D.
Mr. Silverman served as Chief Operating Officer of Merus N.V. ((formerly, NASDAQ:MRUS), a biotechnology company, from January 2023 until its acquisition by Genmab A/S in December 2025. Prior to that, Mr. Silverman held several leadership roles at Merus, including Head of Utrecht from April 2020 to January 2023, General Counsel from February 2018 to December 2025, and Chief Intellectual Property Officer and Head of U.S. Legal from February 2017 to February 2018. Before joining Merus, Mr. Silverman was a Partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, an international law firm, where he represented numerous life sciences companies concerning an array of legal matters and technologies. Previously, Mr. Silverman was an associate at Kaye Scholer LLP (now Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP), and served as judicial law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Anne E. Thompson of the District of New Jersey. Mr. Silverman has served as a member of the board of directors of Kinaset Therapeutic, a biopharmaceutical company, since January 2026. He holds a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and a B.A. in biology from the University of Rochester.
About LeonaBio
LeonaBio, headquartered in the Seattle, Washington area, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of novel therapeutics for diseases with high unmet medical needs, including treatment-resistant metastatic breast cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with the goal of improving patients' lives. Our lead drug candidates, lasofoxifene and ATH-1105, are novel, small molecule therapies with the potential to address devastating diseases where current treatment options are limited or ineffective. With a strong commitment to scientific excellence and patient-centered innovation, we are dedicated to developing meaningful new therapies for those who need them most.
For more information, visit www.leonabio.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are not based on historical fact and include statements regarding: the beneficial characteristics, safety and efficacy of LeonaBio's drug candidates; the potential of any subsequent clinical trials to show the beneficial characteristics, safety and efficacy of LeonaBio's drug candidates; LeonaBio's drug candidates as potential treatments for metastatic breast cancer and other diseases; and the impact of our new board of directors members on our ability to advance our clinical programs and execute on our long-term vision to deliver transformative therapies for patients with significant unmet needs. Forward-looking statements generally include statements that are predictive in nature and depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and include words such as "may," "will," "should," "on track," "would," "expect," "plan," "believe," "intend," "pursue," "continue," "suggest," "potential," "target" and similar expressions. Any forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks associated with the possible failure to realize certain anticipated benefits of the license relating to lasofoxifene and the recent private placement financing, including with respect to future financial and operating results; the data from nonclinical and clinical trials may not support the safety, efficacy and tolerability of LeonaBio's drug candidates; development of drug candidates may cease or be delayed; regulatory authorities could object to protocols, amendments and other submissions; future potential regulatory milestones for drug candidates, including those related to current and planned clinical studies, may be insufficient to support regulatory submissions or approval; whether LeonaBio's trials are sufficiently powered to meet the planned endpoints; LeonaBio may not be able to recruit sufficient patients for its clinical trials; the outcome of legal proceedings that may in the future be instituted against LeonaBio, its directors and officers; possible negative interactions of LeonaBio's drug candidates with other treatments; FDA regulatory delays and uncertainty and new policies, including executive orders, changes in the leadership of federal agencies such as the FDA and SEC, staff layoffs, budget cuts to agency programs and research and changes in drug pricing controls; LeonaBio's assumptions regarding its financial condition and the sufficiency of its cash, cash equivalents and investments to fund its planned operations may be incorrect; adverse conditions in the general domestic and global economic markets, including as a result of tariffs; the impact of competition; the impact of drug candidate development and clinical activities on operating expenses; the impact of new or changing laws and regulations; as well as the other risks detailed in LeonaBio's filings with the SEC from time to time. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and LeonaBio undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements. LeonaBio may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in its forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements.
Investor & Media Contact:
Julie Rathbun
LeonaBio
Julie.rathbun@leonabio.com
206-769-9219
