PARIS, Jan. 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Egle Therapeutics SAS (Egle), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering precision medicines that modulate regulatory T cells (Tregs) to rebalance immune function in patients with autoimmune diseases and cancer, today announced the appointment of John Celebi, M.B.A., as chief executive officer. Mr. Celebi is a seasoned biotechnology executive with over 30 years of experience building and scaling innovative life sciences companies and has been a member of the Egle board of directors since 2024.

Mr. Celebi's appointment comes as Egle enhances its clinical development focus on autoimmune diseases, where recent validation of the IL-2 mechanism has created a significant opportunity for differentiated therapies in major indications. The company's lead programs are novel IL-2 receptor alpha-biased muteins designed with best-in-class selectivity for regulatory T cells, offering the potential for deeper efficacy, improved safety, and sustained immune rebalancing without Treg exhaustion.

“As Egle deepens its focus on autoimmune diseases, the appointment of John represents a strategic and thoughtful evolution of our leadership team,” said Michel Detheux, Ph.D., Chair of the Board of Egle Therapeutics. “John is an accomplished leader whose service on Egle’s board brings valuable continuity to our vision and disciplined execution. His proven track record in building biotechnology companies from early stages through successful public market offerings, combined with his expertise in strategic partnerships and therapeutics development, positions Egle to capitalize on the significant opportunity in Treg biology. We are confident his leadership will accelerate our mission to deliver transformative therapies for patients.”

John Celebi brings extensive senior operating and business leadership experience, spanning corporate strategy, business development and therapeutic R&D. He joins Egle from Sensei Bio (NASDAQ: SNSE) where he served as chief executive officer during key stages of growth, including closing a successful $152 million initial public offering, raising over $220 million in total equity capital and establishing a clinical-stage pipeline. Prior to that, he led business development at ArQule, where he negotiated over $1.5 billion in strategic alliances with global pharmaceutical partners including Roche, Daiichi-Sankyo, and Kyowa Hakko Kirin, and served as chief business officer at Igenica Biotherapeutics, where he closed a Series C financing and established a strategic collaboration with AstraZeneca. Mr. Celebi holds an M.B.A. from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.S. in Biophysics from the University of California, San Diego.

“I am honored to expand my role at Egle as chief executive officer and build on the strong foundation already in place,” said Mr. Celebi. "The recent clinical validation of IL-2-based therapies in autoimmune diseases, combined with the differentiated profiles of Egle’s best-in-class Treg modulators, creates a compelling opportunity to bring meaningful therapies to patients. With our healthy volunteer single ascending dose data anticipated in the first half of 2026, I am excited to leverage my experience in drug development and strategic partnerships to advance Egle's innovative science toward patients living with autoimmune diseases. I look forward to working with the board and the entire team to translate Egle’s opportunity into significant value for patients and our key stakeholders.”

About Egle Therapeutics
Egle Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering precision medicines that modulate regulatory T cells (Tregs) to rebalance immune function in patients with autoimmune diseases and cancer. The company’s proprietary technology platform enables the engineering of highly selective IL-2 variant immuno-conjugates which are designed to overcome the efficacy and safety limitations of previous Treg-focused therapies. Its autoimmunity portfolio is led by EGL-003, an IL-2 agonist Treg engager currently being explored as a potential treatment for atopic dermatitis and other autoimmune diseases. Egle’s immuno-oncology portfolio includes EGL-001, an anti-CTLA-4-IL-2m fusion which has implemented its first-in-human dosing, and EGL-002, an anti-CCR8 x anti-CD25 bispecific. For more information, visit www.egle-tx.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Contacts
contact@egle-tx.com / 0033 (0)1 86 64 08 57
investor.relations@egle-tx.com / 0033 (0)1 86 64 08