Pliant Therapeutics Appoints Gayle Crowell to its Board of Directors

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pliant Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel therapies for the treatment of fibrosis, today announced the appointment of Gayle Crowell to its board of directors as an independent director. Ms. Crowell will serve on the both the audit committee and nominating and governance committee.

"Ms. Crowell's hands-on knowledge in operational strategy, coupled with a keen perspective into the financial markets and venture capital environment, brings a unique and valued viewpoint to our company. The Pliant leadership team very much looks forward to working with Ms. Crowell as we advance our portfolio of promising therapeutics for fibrotic diseases," said Bernard Coulie, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Pliant Therapeutics.

Ms. Crowell has a long-standing track record of leadership and management in the technology industry, with particular experience in operations and organizational development. She spent the past decade as a strategic business advisor for Warburg Pincus, one of the world's leading private equity firms, where she worked closely with leading high growth companies to help drive commercial business strategy, accelerate revenue growth, evaluate market opportunities and build world-class management teams.  A veteran board member, having served on over 20 public and private company boards, she is currently also serving on the Boards of Envestnet (ENV) and Hercules Capital (HTGC).

In addition, Ms. Crowell serves as a trustee of the prestigious Desert Research Foundation and has served as chairman and on the National Board of Directors for Watermark, a non-profit women's executive organization. A long-time ecologist and educator, she is also the co-founder of Conserving Now, a large community of active environmentalists.

A reflection of her long-time commitment to learning and leadership, Ms. Crowell began her career as an educator for the State of Nevada, and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Nevada at Reno.

"Pliant's business needs as a clinical-stage biotechnology company align well with my operational and organizational management expertise. I am eager to collaborate with the Pliant board and leadership teams as we look to position the company for long-term success in the fibrotic disease space," said Ms. Crowell.

About Pliant Therapeutics
Pliant Therapeutics is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel therapies for the treatment of fibrosis. Pliant seeks to develop targeted treatments to slow or halt the progression of multiple life-threatening fibrotic diseases. The company's lead product candidate, PLN-74809, is designed to be a selective inhibitor of α_vβ₁ and α_vβ₆ integrins, which play key roles in multiple fibrotic pathways. PLN-74809 has received Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in both idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), and is currently in Phase 2 testing for IPF. Pliant's second product candidate, PLN-1474, is designed to be an oral, small molecule selective inhibitor of α_vβ₁, targeting late-stage liver fibrosis and is partnered with Novartis. For more information, please visit www.pliantrx.com. 

Media Contact:
Cambria Fuqua
Canale Communications
(619) 849-5390
[email protected]

SOURCE Pliant Therapeutics, Inc.

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