SAN DIEGO, July 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ImageneBio, Inc. (NASDAQ:IMA, "Imagene" or the "Company")), today announced the appointment of Matt Robbins, an experienced life sciences attorney with more than 15 years of corporate, securities, and transactional experience, as General Counsel, effective July 7, 2026. Robbins will oversee Imagene's legal, corporate governance, intellectual property, and compliance functions, providing strategic counsel as the Company advances its lead candidate, IMG-007.

"We are thrilled to welcome Matt to the Imagene management team," said Kristin Yarema, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Imagene. "Matt’s experience building a legal function inside a clinical-stage biotech company, combined with his years advising life science companies through public offerings and complex transactions, is a great fit for Imagene as we continue to advance and scale up our Phase 2 clinical programs in atopic dermatitis and alopecia areata. As we celebrate our one-year company anniversary later this month, we are entering an exciting new phase of growth with important milestones and data readouts on the horizon. Matt's leadership and expertise will be invaluable as we continue to grow, strengthen our organization, and execute on our strategic priorities."

Robbins is an experienced corporate and securities attorney whose career spans the life sciences industry in both firm and in-house roles. Most recently, he served as General Counsel of Bright Peak Therapeutics, Inc., a venture-backed clinical-stage biotechnology company, where he built the legal function from the ground up. Prior to Bright Peak, he spent nearly nine years at Cooley LLP in San Diego, advising public and private life sciences companies on corporate, securities, and transactional matters. Earlier in his career, he served as a Senior Consultant at Deloitte & Touche LLP. Robbins holds a JD from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is admitted to the California State Bar.

About ImageneBio, Inc.

Imagene is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing therapeutics for patients with immunological, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases with differentiated clinical profiles. The Company’s program, IMG-007, is a receptor targeting, non-T cell-depleting, ADCC-silenced, anti-OX40 monoclonal antibody with an approximately 5-week half-life. Imagene has completed proof-of-concept clinical trials of IMG-007 in both atopic dermatitis and alopecia areata and is currently conducting a Phase 2b clinical trial of IMG-007 in patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, statements regarding: the expected benefits from appointing Matt Robbins as General Counsel of the Company; the belief that the anti-OX40/OX40L class is on a promising path towards adoption in AD and other inflammatory and autoimmune indications; the potential benefits of OX40/OX40L antagonists generally and IMG-007 specifically in AD and AA; and other statements regarding management’s intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations or forecasts for the future. Words such as "will," "can," "expect," "may," "plan," "potential," "goal," or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, but not limited to: risks associated with the nonclinical and clinical development and regulatory approval of IMG-007, including potential delays in the completion of clinical trials and potential safety and other complications thereof; the timing of the availability of data from the Company’s clinical trials; the clinical utility, potential differentiation and/or benefits and market acceptance of IMG-007; the requirement for additional capital to continue to advance the IMG-007 program, which may not be available on favorable terms or at all; the Company’s ability to attract, hire, and retain skilled executive officers and employees; the Company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and proprietary technologies; the Company’s reliance on third parties, contract manufacturers, and contract research organizations; the possibility that the Company may be adversely affected by other economic, political, business, or competitive factors; and risks associated with changes in applicable laws or regulations or government resources and policies. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties. These and other risks and uncertainties are more fully described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), including the factors described in the section titled "Risk Factors" in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, filed with the SEC on March 10, 2026, and in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, filed with the SEC on May 7, 2026. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are made only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as required by law.

Investor Contact:

Rebecca Cohen

rcohen@imagenebio.com

Media Contact:

Jason Braco, PhD

Valence Communications

jason@valencecomms.com