<img src="https://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/af01af62-b233-44e7-ae7e-d39966623a12?size=2" nborder="0" align="left" hspace="5" vspace="5" title="final-dark-logo.png" alt="Montara Therapeutics"/><ul><li style="text-align:justify;">Andrew Miller, Ph.D., Founder of Karuna Therapeutics, joins Board of Directors</li><li style="text-align:justify;">David Michelson, M.D., named Chief Medical Officer, brings deep clinical development expertise in CNS diseases, including four New Drug Approvals</li><li style="margin-bottom:12pt; text-align:justify;">Zachary Hill, Ph.D., promoted to Chief Technology Officer </li></ul> SAN FRANCISCO, June 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Montara Therapeutics, a biotechnology company pioneering brain-selective therapies for CNS diseases, today announced the appointment of Andrew Miller, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors; the hiring of David Michelson, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer; and the promotion of Zachary Hill, Ph.D., to Chief Technology Officer. "We are building a team with the experience and ambition to realize our vision," said Nicholas T. Hertz, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of Montara Therapeutics. "Andrew created and built an innovative neuroscience company by demonstrating that a two-drug combination strategy could mitigate peripheral side effects and unlock clinical value, a thesis that underpins our BrainOnly™ platform. David brings the regulatory and clinical rigor to advance our programs into the clinic, and Zach has been instrumental in further developing our platform and technology. Together with our existing team, this strengthens our ability to execute on our strategy and drive long-term value." Andrew Miller, Ph.D., Joins Board of Directors Andrew Miller, Ph.D., is a highly accomplished leader in neuroscience drug development, named to Time Magazine's 100 Next Generation Leaders, 100 Most Influential People in Health, and the Fierce 50 in 2025. As Founder and President of R&amp;D at Karuna Therapeutics, Dr. Miller was the lead inventor of KarXT, approved by the FDA in 2024 as COBENFY™, the first new class of treatment for schizophrenia in 35 years. He later served as COO, CEO, and board member, scaling Karuna from one employee to over 350 and raising approximately $2 billion ahead of its $14 billion acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb in 2024. COBENFY was developed using a pioneering two-drug strategy that paired a CNS-active muscarinic agonist with a peripherally restricted muscarinic antagonist, enabling clinically meaningful central efficacy with improved peripheral tolerability. Dr. Miller shepherded this work from initial concept through FDA approval and a landmark acquisition, and now brings that experience to Montara's board. Dr. Miller currently serves as the Chairman of the Board at Progentos Therapeutics, a Board Member at Kyverna Therapeutics, and as an advisor to Google Ventures, General Atlantic, Vida Ventures, Longwood Fund and the One Mind Foundation. "Montara is pursuing a novel and distinct two-drug strategy aimed at achieving brain-only pharmacology using a peripheral blocker. Supported by strong preclinical in vivo data, its lead program has the potential to be the first therapy to selectively inhibit mTOR signaling in the brain, opening new possibilities for treating TSC seizures and a broad range of other neurodegenerative diseases," said Andrew Miller, Ph.D. "The BrainOnly platform has broad utility across CNS targets that are currently not accessible." Other members of Montara’s board include Troy Willson, Ph.D., Board Chair and CEO of Kura Oncology; Dr. Nicholas Hertz, CEO of Montara; Dirk Landgraf, Ph.D., Principal at SV Health Investors’ Dementia Discovery Fund; and J. Seth Strattan, Ph.D., General Partner at Two Bear Capital. David Michelson, MD, Appointed Chief Medical Officer David Michelson, M.D., brings more than two decades of CNS clinical development leadership to Montara. At Eli Lilly, he rose to Executive Medical Director, leading atomoxetine through approval as Strattera, before spending over a decade at Merck as VP of Neuroscience and Ophthalmology Clinical Research, where he oversaw the portfolio from Phase 2 through approval, including Belsomra, the first orexin receptor antagonist for insomnia. He subsequently served as CMO at Regenacy Pharmaceuticals and Proclara Biosciences, advancing novel mechanisms in peripheral neuropathy and neurodegeneration, respectively. Across his career, he has led four programs through New Drug Approval and served as DSMB chair for the NIMH medications development program. "The BrainOnly platform addresses a fundamental bottleneck in CNS drug development, enabling engagement of important targets in the brain without the systemic side effects and toxicities that limit dose and durability," said David Michelson, MD. "I'm joining Montara because I believe this platform can deliver medicines to patients who currently have no good options." Zachary Hill, Ph.D., Promoted to Chief Technology Officer Zachary Hill, Ph.D., has deep expertise in emerging therapeutic modalities, especially in bivalent inhibitors, heterobifunctional molecules, and synthetic molecular glues. He trained as a synthetic chemist and chemical biologist under Dustin Maly at the University of Washington, followed by postdoctoral research with Jim Wells at UCSF, where he co-invented the chemically induced dimerization technology, AbCIDs. Dr. Hill is an experienced biotech professional, having co-founded Soteria Biotherapeutics, where he served as CSO and board director, developing novel therapeutics based on the AbCID technology. At Montara, Dr. Hill's expertise in heterobifunctional molecules and molecular glues has been instrumental in advancing the BrainOnly™ platform. As CTO, he will lead platform innovation, discovery, and oversee the translation of Montara's science into clinical-stage programs. "BrainOnly is based on elegant chemistry to create pharmacology that is genuinely selective for the brain, which is something the CNS field has needed for a long time," said Zachary Hill, Ph.D. "We have the scientific foundation, technological innovation, clinical leadership, and board experience to take this platform to its full potential." About Montara's BrainOnly™ Platform Montara's BrainOnly™ platform enables brain-selective pharmacology by pairing brain-penetrant therapeutics with a proprietary peripheral blocker that restricts drug activity outside the CNS, improving safety and tolerability while preserving full efficacy at the target. The platform leverages Brain-Targeting Chimeras (BrainTAC™) and has the potential to unlock CNS targets previously limited by systemic toxicity, significantly expanding the addressable opportunity in neurological disease. About Montara Therapeutics Montara Therapeutics is a preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel approaches to create safer and more efficacious treatments for neurological diseases. The company’s proprietary BrainOnly™ platform enables brain-selective pharmacology by leveraging both existing and novel Brain-Targeting Chimeras (BrainTAC™) while restricting deleterious on-target/off-tissue peripheral activity. BrainOnly holds the potential to unlock numerous targets previously considered undruggable, greatly expanding the therapeutic options for patients in need of these therapies. Montara is supported by an outstanding group of investors, including founding investor SV Health Investors’ Dementia Discovery Fund, Two Bear Capital, KdT Ventures, Dolby Family Ventures, and BEVC. For more information, visit <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=Nx4rcGTPFmBAp7coKbBrpJUt-1mphqQqQN6pdLtCb0t0LhRMynTic4vkNSJG9tGJCW_W1n4rGgQ005XM9124Gg==" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="">montaratx.com</a>. Media Contact Kayla Sadowsky Kayla@lmprcommunications.com <img alt="" src='https://ml.globenewswire.com/media/ODYzYTBiYTMtOWJhZC00ZDUxLTgzNjYtNjNlNzFmZDEzM2QwLTEzMDQ1OTgtMjAyNi0wNi0wOS1lbg==/tiny/Montara-Therapeutics.png' referrerpolicy='no-referrer-when-downgrade' />

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Montara Therapeutics Appoints Andrew Miller to Board of Directors, Names Chief Medical Officer, and Promotes Chief Technology Officer

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