CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

bluebird bio, Inc. (BLUE), a clinical-stage company committed to developing potentially transformative gene therapies for severe genetic and orphan diseases, today announced that Dr. Rick Morgan is joining the company as vice president of Immunotherapy.

Dr. Morgan joins the company from National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health where he was a Staff Scientist, working on genetically modified T-lymphocytes. He is also an associate investigator on all NCI Surgery Branch Clinical Gene Therapy Protocols. Previously Dr. Morgan was Interim Chief at the Clinical Gene Therapy Branch of the National Human Genome Research Institute.

We are excited that Richard is joining bluebird bio, stated Mitchell Finer, PhD, bluebird bios Chief Scientific Officer. This is an exciting time for the company as we expand our immunotherapy program. Richard has established himself as a leader in immunotherapy and gene therapy and will be key to advancing our CAR-T efforts and more broadly our T-cell platform.

Dr. Morgan was a member of the team that preformed the worlds first human gene therapy experiments in 1990 and in 2006 he was the first to report that genetically engineered T cells can cause cancer regression in humans. In his 30 years career, Dr. Morgan has received multiple awards, most recently the Technology Transfer Award from the National Cancer Institute in 2012 and the NCI Directors Intramural Innovation Award in 2010. He is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, The Johns Hopkins Medical and Surgical Association, American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy and Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer. Dr. Morgan is an author of more than 190 scientific publications including papers with Nobel laureates EJ Corey, Harold Varmus, and Andrew Fire. Dr. Morgan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry from Brandeis University and a Doctor of Philosophy in Genetics from The Johns Hopkins University.

This is a revolutionary time in the fields of immunotherapy and gene therapy, stated Dr. Morgan. bluebird bio has established a leading group of researchers in the field of CAR-T, a novel approach to treating cancers and potentially, a wide range of immune mediated diseases. I look forward to working with the team to advance these treatments towards the clinic.

About bluebird bio, Inc.

bluebird bio is a clinical-stage company committed to developing potentially transformative gene therapies for severe genetic and orphan diseases. bluebird bio has two clinical-stage programs in development. The most advanced product candidate, Lenti-D, recently initiated a phase 2/3 study for the treatment of childhood cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (CCALD), a rare, hereditary neurological disorder affecting young boys. The next most advanced product candidate, LentiGlobin, is currently in a phase 1/2 study in France for the treatment of beta-thalassemia major and severe sickle cell disease. A second phase 1/2 study with LentiGlobin in the United States has been initiated for the treatment of beta-thalassemia major.

bluebird bio also has an early-stage chimeric antigen receptor-modified T cell (CAR-T) program for oncology in partnership with Celgene Corporation.

bluebird bio has operations in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Paris, France. For more information, please visit http://www.bluebirdbio.com.

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Richard Morgan, Ph.D. Joins bluebird bio as Vice President of Immunotherapy

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