Dr. Thomas E. Hughes Elected to miRagen Board of Directors

BOULDER, Colo., October 15, 2009 – miRagen Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on improving patients’ lives by developing innovative microRNA-based therapeutics for cardiovascular and muscle disease, today announced that Thomas E. Hughes, Ph.D., was elected to its Board of Directors on September 24, 2009. Dr. Hughes brings more than 20 years of drug discovery and development expertise to the company.

“For some time we had been searching for an independent Director and feel very fortunate to have attracted someone of Tom’s caliber,” said William S. Marshall, Ph.D., President and CEO of miRagen Therapeutics. “He possesses a wealth of knowledge in the development of medicines, particularly targeted to cardiovascular and metabolic disease. We are excited to be working with him and look forward to his contributions.”

“Tom adds significantly to our Board composition,” said Bruce L. Booth, D.Phil., Chairman of miRagen’s Board of Directors and Partner, Atlas Venture. “He’s a proven leader, and we anticipate his input will be extremely helpful in advancing the company.”

“microRNA-based therapeutics is an exciting field, and miRagen’s programs promise to bring meaningful relief to those suffering the effects of cardiovascular and muscle disease,” said Tom Hughes. “The company’s progress to date is impressive, and I’m thrilled to be a part of such important work.”

Throughout his career, Dr. Hughes has been involved in numerous drug discovery efforts in the metabolic and cardiovascular disease area, focusing on glucose homeostasis, lipid metabolism and the control of blood clotting. He joined Zafgen in 2008 as Chief Executive Officer following a 20-year tenure at Novartis, where he most recently served as Vice President and Global Head of the Cardiovascular and Metabolism Disease area.

In 2007, R&D Directions magazine named Dr. Hughes one of the 20 Most Notable People in R&D, and in 2009 he was named as one of the 100 most inspiring people in Pharmaceutical R&D by PharmaVoice magazine. Dr. Hughes earned his Ph.D. in Nutrition from Tufts University and received an M.S. in zoology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. He graduated with a B.A. in biology from Franklin and Marshall College.

About microRNAs

MicroRNAs have emerged as an important class of small RNAs encoded in the genome. They act to control the expression of sets of genes and entire pathways and are thus thought of as master regulators of gene expression. Recent studies have demonstrated that microRNAs are responsible for many diseases. Because they are single molecular entities that dictate the expression of fundamental regulatory pathways, microRNAs represent potential drug targets of unprecedented power.

About miRagen Therapeutics

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally. Astonishingly, in the United States, every 37 seconds a person dies from cardiovascular disease. For survivors, life changes dramatically after an adverse heart event. Because of the significant toll that cardiovascular and muscle disease takes on patients, miRagen Therapeutics, Inc., was founded in 2007 to develop innovative microRNA-based therapeutics for cardiovascular and muscle disease. Only recently discovered, microRNAs are short, single-stranded RNA molecules encoded in the genome that regulate gene expression and play a vital role in influencing cardiovascular and muscle disease. Principally funded through venture capital investments, miRagen combines world recognized leadership in cardiovascular medicine with unprecedented in-house expertise in microRNA biology and chemistry. For more information, please visit www.miragentherapeutics.com