Epizyme, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company creating novel epigenetic therapies, has announced that President of Research and Chief Scientific Officer Robert A. Copeland, Ph.D., will be retiring from Epizyme in the second quarter of 2017 to pursue advisory and other opportunities within the industry. Dr. Copeland has served in his role since 2008, and will remain a key advisor to Epizyme following his transition. The company is executing plans for continued growth of its investigational pipeline, with plans to name its next development candidate in 2017 as part of its goal of delivering three new candidates into the clinic by 2020.

“I want to thank Bob for his incredible service and invaluable contributions to Epizyme. During his tenure, we pioneered the development of epigenetic therapies for the treatment of cancer, ultimately resulting in our discovery of three novel epigenetic product candidates to enter clinical development,” said Robert Bazemore, president and chief executive officer, Epizyme. “Bob built a strong team and foundation of scientific capabilities that have positioned us well in our evolution from an early-stage company developing a new class of epigenetic targets into a late-stage clinical development organization. I am delighted that Bob will continue to contribute to Epizyme in an advisory role and wish him the best in his next endeavors. We expect a smooth transition and are confident that the plans we are putting in place will further strengthen and secure Epizyme’s future.”

“I am grateful for my time with Epizyme and am overjoyed by what we have been able to accomplish over the past eight years,” said Robert A. Copeland, Ph.D. “With this incredibly talented team, we have discovered entire new classes of targets for epigenetic medicines and built a deep pipeline of early stage programs that are advancing through internal efforts and various collaborations. I am extremely confident in the potential of tazemetostat, the industry’s most advanced EZH2 inhibitor, and look forward to seeing the results of the clinical translation of this company’s novel science. My advisory role will continue to keep me involved with Epizyme and I wish the company all the best in the next phase of its evolution.” 

“Bob has made tremendous contributions to Epizyme’s vision, platform and innovation since its founding,” said David Mott, chairman of Epizyme’s Board of Directors. “On behalf of the entire Board, I want to extend our collective appreciation to Bob and wish him well.”