CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eterna Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: ERNA) ("Eterna" or the "Company"), a preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, committed to realizing the potential of mRNA cell engineering to provide patients with transformational new medicines, today announces the appointment of Mahendra Rao, PhD, to its scientific advisory board.

"We're honored to have Dr. Mahendra Rao join our Scientific Advisory Board," said Sanjeev Luther, President and CEO of Eterna. "His deep scientific expertise in regenerative medicine and cell engineering will be invaluable to our company in its upcoming phases of scientific and clinical development as we strive to bring therapeutics powered by our IP portfolio to the clinic."

Mahendra Rao, Ph.D., added, "The mRNA-based technologies developed by Dr. Matt Angel and his colleagues are exciting, and I admire the goals the company has set for itself."

Dr. Mahendra Rao joins the Eterna Therapeutics Scientific Advisory Board with a wealth of experience in bringing novel treatments to and through clinical trials. Mahendra Rao is the Chief Scientific Officer of Vita Therapeutics, Inc., a cell engineering company that uses induced pluripotent stem cell technology to engineer specific cell types designed to replace those that are defective in patients. Dr. Mahendra Rao is internationally recognized for his research involving pluripotent stem cells. After medical training in India, Dr. Rao obtained a doctorate at The California Institute of Technology and embarked on a career in developmental biology that included faculty positions of increasing seniority at the University of Utah and the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Rao has published more than 400 papers on stem cell research and is the inventor of more than twenty patents licensed to various companies.

About Eterna Therapeutics Inc.

Eterna Therapeutics is a life science company committed to realizing the potential of mRNA cell engineering to provide patients with transformational new medicines. The Company has in-licensed a portfolio of over 100 patents covering key mRNA cell engineering technologies, including technologies for mRNA cell reprogramming, mRNA gene editing (UltraSlice^TM gene-editing protein), and LNP-based mRNA delivery system (ToRNAdo^TM), which is collectively referred to as "mRNA technology platform." For more information, please visit

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are any statements that are not statements of historical fact and may be identified by terminology such as "believe," "could," "estimate," "anticipate," "expect," "plan," "possible," "potential," "project," "will" or other similar words and the negatives of such words. Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, uncertainties related to: (i) the evolution of Eterna's business model; (ii) Eterna's ability to successfully, cost-effectively and efficiently develop its technology and products; (iii) Eterna's ability to successfully commence clinical trials of any products on a timely basis or at all; (iv) Eterna's ability to successfully fund and manage the growth of its development activities; and (v) Eterna's ability to obtain regulatory approvals of its products for commercialization. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The forward-looking statements made in this communication speak only as of the date on which they were made, and Eterna does not undertake any obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date hereof, except as required by applicable law. Factors that may cause Eterna's actual results to differ from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements contained in this press release are more fully disclosed in Eterna's periodic public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly under the heading "Risk Factors" in Eterna's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, as well as under similar headings in Eterna's subsequently filed Current Reports on Form 8-K.

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