bluebird bio Appoints World Leading Experts to Inaugural Scientific Advisory Board

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 21, 2011 – bluebird bio, an emerging leader in the development of innovative gene therapies for severe genetic disorders, today announced the appointment of leading experts to its newly formed scientific advisory board. The newly appointed SAB will serve as a strategic resource to bluebird bio as it continues to develop therapies for severe genetic disorders.

“We are thrilled with the addition of these experts in gene therapy to our team of advisors,” said Nick Leschly, president and chief executive officer of bluebird bio. “The background and experience our SAB members bring to bluebird bio is going to be invaluable as we not only move our gene therapy product candidates forward into later stage clinical development, but also to keep our gene therapy platform at the cutting edge.”

The inaugural members of bluebird bio’s scientific advisory board include:

 Philippe Leboulch, M.D., co-chair, scientific advisory board, bluebird bio; scientific co-founder, bluebird bio; head of the Institute of Emerging Diseases and Innovative Therapies of CEA and INSERM; professor of medicine, University of Paris; and Visiting Professor, Harvard

 Malcolm K. Brenner, M.D., Ph.D., professor, departments of pediatrics and medicine, section of hematology-oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, and director, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy

 Stephen P. Goff, Ph.D., Higgins Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, and Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

 Katherine A. High, M.D., investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; William H. Bennett Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; director and attending hematologist, Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

 R. Keith Humphries, M.D., Ph.D., distinguished scientist and director, Terry Fox Laboratory; professor of medicine, University of British Columbia (UBC); associate member of pathology and laboratory medicine and medical genetics, UBC; program project group leader, Terry Fox Foundation of Canada; and director of Transgenic and Gene Targeting Facility, BC Cancer Agency

 Christof von Kalle, M.D., Ph.D., chairman, department of translational oncology, German Cancer Research Center; director, National Center for Tumor Diseases, University Hospital Heidelberg; adjunct professor of pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Division of Experimental Hematology; group leader, section of hematopoiesis and gene transfer, Institute for Molecular Medicine in Freiburg University; and senior clinical investigator of the Gene Therapy Program, and Senior Medical Staff Fellow of the Department of Internal Medicine, Freiburg University Medical School, Germany

 Philip R. Reilly, M.D., J.D., venture partner, Third Rock Ventures; trustee, Cornell University; member, board of directors, Edimer Pharmaceuticals; founding fellow, American College of Medical Genetics

“The launch of bluebird bio’s scientific advisory board underscores our commitment to continuing the development of innovative gene therapies for severe genetic disorders,” said Mitchell H. Finer, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of bluebird bio. “The core of bluebird bio’s product creation efforts is our broadly applicable gene therapy platform for the development of novel treatments for diseases with few or no clinical options. These additions to our team further position bluebird bio to successfully reach our goal of bringing transformative treatments to patients living with genetic diseases.”