Constellation Pharmaceuticals Closes $32 Million in Series A Funding

-Company Founded by Pioneers in Emerging Field of Epigenetics-
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(Business Wire)--
Constellation Pharmaceuticals, the first biopharmaceutical company
focused on discovering and developing novel drugs targeting selective
regulators of epigenetic function, today announced that it has closed
a $32 million Series A financing. Proceeds from the financing will be
used to establish the discovery platform and accelerate the
development of a preclinical candidate pipeline of epigenetic-targeted
drugs.

Third Rock Ventures, The Column Group and Venrock co-led the
round. Constellation Pharmaceuticals was founded by three of the
foremost authorities and leaders within the field of Epigenetics:
Danny Reinberg, Ph.D, Professor of Biochemistry at the New York
University School of Medicine and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes
Institute; Yang Shi, Ph.D., Professor of Pathology at the Harvard
Medical School and David Allis, Ph.D., Professor and Head of the
Laboratory of Chromatin Biology at The Rockefeller University.

Epigenetics is an exciting new field of biology that
involves chemical modifications of both DNA and of its packaging
proteins, which are collectively called the 'epigenome.' The genome,
or DNA, is the "blueprint" for the human body, consisting of thousands
of genes, which are the fundamental units of information necessary for
normal cell growth and development. In contrast, the epigenome plays a
critical role in regulating the expression of genes, that is,
switching genes on or off - or in the case of disease, for switching
genes on or off incorrectly. This new field of Epigenetic science
provides the opportunity to create a broad new class of human
therapeutics targeting selective regulators of epigenetic function.

Constellation Pharmaceuticals is developing a deep pipeline of
preclinical drug candidates based on the unique insights of the
founders and scientific advisory board. The Company's initial focus is
modulating epigenetic function, particularly histone modification, to
discover and develop novel drugs for oncology. Constellation's
technology platform is also applicable to other therapeutic areas
including autoimmune, inflammatory and neurological diseases.

Constellation's Board of Directors include: Anthony Evnin,
Partner, Venrock; David Goeddel, Ph.D., Partner, The Column Group;
Mark Levin, Partner, Third Rock Ventures; Tom Maniatis, Ph.D.,
Professor, Harvard University; and, Bob Tepper, M.D., Partner, Third
Rock Ventures.

"Through Epigenetics, which represents a breakthrough in our
understanding of biology at an entirely new level, at the interface
between DNA and gene expression, we believe there is an unprecedented
opportunity to create a novel class of drugs that will target gene
function in a completely new and enhanced way," said Mark Levin,
interim Chief Executive Officer, Constellation Pharmaceuticals and
Partner, Third Rock Ventures. "As the first company dedicated to the
development of novel therapeutics in the field of Epigenetics, we are
delighted to leverage our founders' unparalleled knowledge base into
this newly developing and highly exciting field of biology to create
breakthrough drugs for patients."

"The new discoveries in the field of Epigenetics, particularly in
the area of histone lysine methyltransferases and demethylases, have
demonstrated a tremendous potential to target and treat many
devastating human diseases in a fundamental way," said Yang Shi,
Ph.D., Founder, Constellation Pharmaceuticals and Professor of
Pathology at the Harvard Medical School.

"As the genome captured the interest and imagination of the
scientific community to identify new, breakthrough therapeutics, the
epigenome provides an entirely new class of targets for the
development of a novel class of therapeutics with the potential to
dramatically improve the way diseases are treated," said David Allis,
Ph.D., Founder, Constellation Pharmaceuticals and Head of the
Laboratory of Chromatin Biology at The Rockefeller University.

"I am delighted to join my esteemed colleagues in this exciting
new venture, and to have the opportunity to work with an experienced
and proven management team and outstanding scientific advisory board,
with the goal of rapidly advancing and translating this new and
exciting field of science into a new class of medicines," said Danny
Reinberg, Ph.D., Founder, Constellation Pharmaceuticals and Professor
of Biochemistry at the New York University School of Medicine and an
Investigator at the Howard Hughes Institute.

Also supporting the Company's efforts is a Scientific Advisory
Board featuring some of the most renowned scientific experts within
the field of Epigenetics and oncology, including; Julian Adams, Ph.D.,
Chief Scientific Officer, Infinity Pharmaceuticals; Xiaodong Cheng,
Ph.D., Professor, Emory University; Thomas Jenuwein, Ph.D., Director,
Max Planck Institute; Rick Klausner, M.D., Managing Partner, The
Column Group and former Director of the National Cancer Institute;
Arnold Levine, Ph.D., Professor, Institute of Advanced Study; David
Livingston, M.D., Deputy Director, Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer
Institute; Scott Lowe, Ph.D., Professor, Cold Spring Harbor
Laboratory; and, Robert Tjian, Ph.D., Professor, University of
California at Berkeley.

About Constellation Pharmaceuticals

Constellation Pharmaceuticals is the first biopharmaceutical
company dedicated to the development of novel therapeutics in the
emerging field of Epigenetics, a new field of science which is focused
on selective regulators of epigenetic function, which are critical to
controlling gene function and expression. Constellation's primary
focus is in oncology, but the company's platform will also be
applicable to other therapeutic areas including autoimmune,
inflammatory and neurological diseases. The Company's founders
represent the core thought leaders in Epigenetics, responsible for key
advances, insights and discoveries in the field. Constellation
Pharmaceuticals is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more
information, please visit the company's website at
www.constellationpharma.com.

Yates Public Relations
Kathryn Morris, 845-635-9828

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