Longeveron Appoints Deborah Ascheim To Board Of Directors To Strengthen Clinical Leadership

Longeveron Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing cellular therapies for rare pediatric diseases and chronic age-related conditions, has announced the election of Deborah D. Ascheim, M.D., to its Board of Directors. Dr. Ascheim brings more than 30 years of clinical, research, and executive leadership experience in the development of innovative therapies, including gene therapies, cell therapies, and biologic medicines, across a broad range of rare, ultra-rare, and common diseases.

According to the Company, Dr. Ascheim's appointment further strengthens the Board as Longeveron continues advancing its lead stem cell therapy candidate, laromestrocel. The Company is currently focused on developing the therapy for several serious conditions, including hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a rare and life-threatening congenital heart disease in children.

Joshua M. Hare, M.D., Executive Chairman and Chief Science Officer of Longeveron, welcomed Dr. Ascheim to the Board and highlighted her extensive experience in the development of advanced biologic, gene, and cell therapies. He said her expertise will be valuable as the Company progresses the clinical development of laromestrocel. Dr. Hare also noted that the Company's HLHS program represents its most advanced clinical program and one of its key near-term development priorities. He emphasized that HLHS remains a severe pediatric heart condition with high mortality rates despite surgical intervention and currently has no approved drug therapies.

Commenting on her appointment, Dr. Ascheim said she is pleased to join Longeveron's Board during an important stage in the Company's clinical development. She noted that laromestrocel's potential anti-inflammatory, pro-vascular, and regenerative mechanisms of action support its potential as a platform therapy with possible applications across multiple diseases that currently have significant unmet medical needs.

Dr. Ascheim currently serves as Fractional Chief Medical Officer at Rejuvenate Bio, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing gene therapies for age-related diseases in both humans and companion animals. She is also the founder and president of d2a Ltd., where she provides strategic consulting services focused on clinical and product development across gene therapies, cell therapies, pharmaceuticals, small molecules, and medical devices. In addition, she serves on the Advisory Board of the Mass General Brigham Gene and Cell Therapy Institute.

Before joining Rejuvenate Bio in 2023, Dr. Ascheim served as Chief Medical Officer of StrideBio, Inc., where she supported the development of genetic medicines for patients with serious inherited diseases. She also worked as an independent clinical development consultant, advising companies developing next-generation gene therapies for rare diseases. Earlier, she served as Chief Medical Officer at Capricor Therapeutics, where she led clinical development strategy, oversaw medical monitoring activities, and managed Phase I/II clinical trials for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Prior to her biotechnology leadership roles, Dr. Ascheim built an extensive academic and clinical career in heart failure cardiology. She served on the faculty of the Heart Failure Center within the Division of Circulatory Physiology at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. During her academic career, she participated in numerous National Institutes of Health (NIH) and industry-sponsored clinical studies, serving as principal investigator or in other senior leadership roles on research programs with combined funding exceeding $140 million.

Dr. Ascheim has also held leadership positions outside the biotechnology industry. She served on the Board of Directors of Physicians for Human Rights from 2008 through 2023, including terms as Chair of the Board as well as Chair of the Nominating & Governance Committee and the Compensation Committee. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College and received her Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

Longeveron believes Dr. Ascheim's broad expertise in clinical development, regulatory strategy, and advanced therapeutic technologies will support the continued advancement of laromestrocel and the Company's broader pipeline of regenerative medicine programs targeting serious pediatric and age-related diseases.