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CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Relay Therapeutics, a new breed of company at the intersection of computation and biotechnology, announced today the company’s expansion into genetic diseases and the appointment of James Nichols, Ph.D. as Head of Genetic Diseases. Dr. Nichols brings to Relay Therapeutics more than 20 years of experience as a biotech entrepreneur and operating executive.

“We are at a pivotal moment in the company’s growth trajectory and, having validated our approach in precision oncology with multiple programs poised to enter the clinic, we are excited to expand the reach of our discovery engine into genetic diseases,” said Sanjiv Patel, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Relay Therapeutics.

“I look forward to shaping the company’s strategy and approach to genetic diseases and to bringing potentially transformative benefit to patients,” said Dr. Nichols. “Relay Tx has built an unparalleled team and unique platform that has led to multiple exciting programs in precision oncology. I am thrilled at the opportunity to apply this innovative platform to a broad range of genetic disease targets.”

Prior to Relay Therapeutics, Dr. Nichols spent five years as the chief operating officer at Warp Drive Bio. There, he led corporate, platform and product strategic planning, business development, intellectual property and program and portfolio management. During his tenure at Warp Drive, Dr. Nichols played an instrumental role in restructuring Warp Drive’s corporate, partnering and platform strategy and was a co-inventor on multiple foundational platform patents. Previously, Dr. Nichols served as president, chief operating officer and board member at Resolvyx Pharmaceuticals. Prior to Resolvyx Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Nichols was vice president of therapeutics at CombinatoRx and a consultant at Braun Consulting. Dr. Nichols holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and was a Helen Hay Whitney postdoctoral fellow in neuroscience at Stanford University Medical School. He holds a B.A. in philosophy from Columbia University.

About Relay Therapeutics

Relay Therapeutics is a new breed of company at the intersection of leading edge experimental and computational approaches focused on making medicines against intractable precision medicine targets. Relay Therapeutics harnesses the forces of expanding computational power and increasing experimental insights to better understand the dynamic nature of protein motion. The approach has been validated with multiple programs poised to enter the clinic. While the company’s initial focus has been in oncology, Relay Therapeutics’ approach has broad applicability and potential to design transformative medicines across a range of disease areas. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Relay Therapeutics is a private company launched in 2016. To date, the company has raised $520 million from investors including SoftBank Vision Fund, Third Rock Ventures, Casdin Capital, GV, BVF Partners, EcoR1 Capital, Foresite Capital, Perceptive Advisors, Tavistock Group and an affiliate of D.E. Shaw Research.