Metacrine (MTCR) Appoints Dr. Julia C. Owens to Its Board of Directors

Metacrine, Inc. (NASDAQ: MTCR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering differentiated therapies for patients with liver and gastrointestinal diseases, today announced the appointment of Julia C. Owens, Ph.D. to the Company’s board of directors, effective April 1, 2021. Dr. Owens will serve as a member of the Compensation Committee.

“We’re excited to welcome Julia as a new independent director,” commented Richard Heyman, Ph.D., Metacrine’s chairman. “She is an accomplished biopharmaceutical executive, with an established track record in building companies, business development, capital formation and strategic partnerships. Julia’s perspective will provide our board with valuable insights as we look ahead to important operating and clinical development milestones.”

Dr. Owens currently serves as the executive chairperson for Millendo Therapeutics, Inc., a company that she co-founded in 2012. For nine years, she served as the president and chief executive officer of Millendo, establishing its strategy, building its endocrine disease pipeline and attracting a world class team. Under her leadership, the company raised $195 million from both the private and public markets, and advanced four distinct product candidates into clinical studies in six different indications, including four Phase 2 programs and a pivotal study. Prior to co-founding Millendo, she served as senior vice president, corporate development and strategy at Lycera Corp. Dr. Owens also held business development roles at QuatRx Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired by Shionogi following the approval of Osphena®, and at Tularik Inc. (acquired by Amgen). She is on the board of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), the Leadership Council of the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute, and the Investment Advisory Board of the Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund. Dr. Owens holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, San Francisco and a B.S. in chemistry and B.A. in molecular and cellular biology from the University of California, Berkeley.

“I’m impressed with Metacrine’s progress advancing its potential best-in-class FXR programs,” said Dr. Owens. “Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is an epidemic in the making with no approved treatments, and will soon become the leading cause of liver transplants in the U.S. It’s an important time for our industry as we bring forward treatments for these patients, and I’m thrilled to join a passionate board of directors with a unified vision.”

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