CAMBRIDGE, MA, June 17, 2009 – Zafgen, Inc., a private venture-backed biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel obesity therapeutics, today announced that Thomas Hughes, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer and Maria Rupnick, M.D., Zafgen cofounder, cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, will present during a spotlight session at XSITE 2009, The Xconomy Summit on Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship, on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 at 4:15 p.m. at Boston University School of Management.

Drs. Hughes and Rupnick will speak about Zafgen during “XSITE Xpo,” a session in which twelve startups poised to transform the energy, life sciences and information technology industries will tell their stories in lightning-speed presentations. Zafgen is being recognized as an XSITE 2009 “Xpo Honoree.”  

“It is a real honor for Zafgen to be selected as an Xpo Honoree during the first ever XSITE Innovation Summit,” said Dr. Hughes. “In this challenging economic climate, it remains clear that the entrepreneurial flame is still burning here in Boston. The XSITE conference brings together a spectrum of cutting-edge companies across sectors, reinforcing the fact that there is still plenty to be excited about and that innovation is alive and kicking in New England.”

About Zafgen, Inc.
Zafgen is the first biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing novel obesity therapeutics that directly target and shrink fat tissue to help the body regain and sustain a lean, healthy state. Adipose tissue (fat) is composed primarily of cells that store unused calories, as well as an extensive network of blood vessels that support the tissue. The nature of the tissue and the interplay between fat cells and the supporting blood vessels play a critical and active role in determining the overall size of the fat tissue, and therefore, an individual’s weight. Zafgen’s groundbreaking approach targets obesity at its root cause by safely manipulating and shrinking the blood supply to fat tissue, driving the loss of fat and a return to a more healthy body weight. Zafgen's leadership and scientific advisors include the leading experts in obesity, metabolic disorders and medicinal chemistry. Founded in 2005, the company is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.