Avigen, Inc.

– Dr. Wright has three decades of experience in the research and development of viral vectors and has been involved in the development of multiple approved gene therapies globally – PALO ALTO, Calif. and RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., July 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kriya Therapeutics, Inc. ("Kriya"), a biopharmaceutical company developing gene therapies to address common diseases affecting millions of people around the world, today announced the appointment of J. Fraser Wright, Ph.D., to the position of Chief Gene Therapy Officer. Dr. Wright is a Scientific Co-Founder of Kriya and has served as a senior advisor to the company since its founding in 2019. During his career he has contributed to numerous gene therapy development programs, including those leading to the regulatory approvals of multiple FDA approved commercial products: Luxturna® for RPE65-/- Leber congenital amarosis Type 2, the first gene therapy for a genetic disease; Kymriah®, the first CAR T-cell therapy for lymphoma and leukemia indications; and Beqvez™ for the treatment of hemophilia B. Most recently, Dr. Wright was a Professor of Pediatrics at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Director of Technology Innovation at Stanford’s Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine. His research aimed to advance the design, characterization and production of AAV-based medicines for rare and common diseases, including addressing key immunological barriers to the successful translation of AAV gene therapies. “Fraser has been instrumental in advancing the field of gene therapy, including through his contributions to the approval and commercialization of multiple gene therapy products globally,” said Shankar Ramaswamy, M.D., Co-Founder and CEO of Kriya. “Since helping to launch Kriya in 2019, Fraser has played a crucial role in accelerating our efforts by bringing his expertise in immunology, vector biology and CMC to the development of our gene therapy pipeline for common diseases. We are thrilled to have Fraser join our leadership team as Chief Gene Therapy Officer as we prepare to advance multiple gene therapies into the clinic for highly prevalent diseases.” Dr. Wright added, "Over the past decades, the field of gene therapy has evolved from an exciting concept facing many clinical translational challenges, to the current landscape of multiple successful regulatory approvals and commercialization of products that provide definitive therapeutic benefit. I am privileged to have been deeply immersed in the gene therapy revolution, and I am optimistic about the future of gene therapy as a new paradigm of therapeutics across multiple fields of medicine. I am impressed that Kriya has built the critical infrastructure and expertise needed to be a fully integrated gene therapy company with collective dedication, innovation and pursuit of excellence to bring better medicines to patients in need. I look forward to the opportunity provided by this leadership role to help address serious healthcare challenges facing society today.” Dr. Wright began his industry career as a Scientist at Sanofi Pasteur, contributing to the development of viral vector-based vaccines and cancer immunotherapies, and subsequently as Director of Development and Clinical Manufacturing at Avigen, a gene therapy company that pioneered AAV-based investigational gene therapies for hemophilia and Parkinson’s disease. After Avigen, Dr. Wright returned to academia where he established and directed the Clinical Vector Facility at the Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and gained a faculty appointment at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Dr. Wright is also a Co-Founder and the founding Chief Technology Officer of Spark Therapeutics. He is an author of over 100 peer reviewed publications and an inventor of many patents used widely in human gene therapy. Dr. Wright received his Ph.D. (Biochemistry and Molecular Immunology) and B.Sc. (Biology and Physiology) from the University of Toronto, and completed post-doctoral studies at INSERM/CENG Grenoble, France. About Kriya TherapeuticsOur mission is to revolutionize medicine, with the ultimate goal of eliminating human suffering and enabling people to live without the burden of disease. Kriya is a biopharmaceutical company developing gene therapies to address common diseases affecting millions of people around the world. With operations in Palo Alto, California and Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, Kriya has raised over $600 million, which will be used to advance a broad pipeline of gene therapies for ophthalmology, metabolic disease and neurology. For more information, please visit www.kriyatx.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X (Formerly Twitter).

SHANGHAI and CLINTON, N.J., Apr. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- HuidaGene Therapeutics (辉大基因; HuidaGene), a global clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing genomic medicine, today announced the selection of Drs. Haiyan Jiang and Alvin Luk as the new members of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The SAB, which includes internationally renowned experts in gene and cell therapies, from discovery to translational research, and clinical development across different therapeutic areas, will provide strategic guidance for the global development of HuidaGene's expansive pipeline products. HuidaGene Appoints New Members to the Scientific Advisory Board "To meaningfully alter the course of genetic diseases, we must advance better-validated therapeutic candidates," said Dr. Haiyan Jiang. "My longstanding interest and commitment in gene and cell therapies have led me to HuidaGene's technology platforms that offer a potential cure to diseases with high unmet medical needs, and I am eager to work with the HuidaGene team to move their pipeline forward." Dr. Alvin Luk stated, "In looking to the future of the field, I have been impressed with HuidaGene's innovative genome-editing platforms. Dr. Hui Yang has been a long-time leader in CRISPR-based DNA/RNA editing, and I expect that our mutual interests and complementary areas of expertise within gene and cell therapy will be a powerful engine for advancing, and even accelerating, the progess at HuidaGene." "We are honored to have an accomplished and diverse group of scientific and clinical experts join us as members of our SAB, who represent extensive experience and knowledge in gene and cell therapies, global drug development, and data-driven clinical trial design," said Hui Yang, PhD, Co-Founder, Chief Scientific Advisor, and Chairman of the SAB at HuidaGene. "Haiyan and Alvin are industry veterans who have achieved a number of 'firsts' in gene therapy clinical programs and who will bring deep and relevant development expertise to HuidaGene. With our scientific advisors' leadership, HuidaGene is poised to translate decades of scientific discovery in programmable genome medicines to people living with devastating diseases worldwide," said Xuan Yao, PhD, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of HuidaGene. About HuidaGene - 辉大基因 HuidaGene Therapeutics (辉大基因) is a global clinical-stage biotechnology company focusing on discovering, engineering, and developing CRISPR-based genetic medicine to rewrite the future of genomic medicine. Based in Shanghai and New Jersey, HuidaGene is committed to addressing patients' needs globally with various preclinical therapeutic programs covering ophthalmology, otology, myology, and neurology. We are currently advancing clinical programs in RPE65 mutation-associated inherited retinal diseases and our preclinical pipeline, including programs in neovascular age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, hereditary hearing loss, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and MECP2 duplication syndrome. Company's CRISPR-based therapeutics offer the potential to cure patients with life-threatening conditions by repairing the cause of their disease. HuidaGene is committed to transforming the future of genome-editing medicine. For more information, please visit or follow us on LinkedIn at Details of the additional SAB members' biographies: Haiyan Jiang, Ph.D. has over 20 years of research and development expertise in biologics, AAV-mediated gene therapy, and in-vivo and ex-vivo CRISPR/Cas9- mediated genome editing products from research to BLA. She has held leadership roles with progressive responsibilities at various companies including Editas Medicine, Biogen, Bayer HealthCare, and Avigen. She led research, preclinical development or clinical pharmacology in the development of ALTUVIIIO, ELOCTATE, ALPROLIX, and JIVI, as well as a number of programs in Phase 1/2a studies. She has over 40 original publications in highly-regarded peer-reviewed journals, including New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Medicine, and Blood; as well as 21 issued US patents. Dr. Jiang received her B.S. in Biochemistry from Fudan University in Shanghai, China, Ph.D. in Oncology from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and postdoctoral training at the University of California-San Francisco. Alvin Luk, Ph.D., M.B.A., C.C.R.A. brings over 30 years' experience in global drug development, from the bench to the beside through successful commercial launch in small, large, public, and private biotech/biopharma firms, including Shanghai Henlius, Spark Therapeutics (acquired by Roche), Biogen, Bayer HealthCare, Avigen, and Tularik (acquired by Amgen). He is a transformational leader with reputation for navigating through political landscape which leads to a proven track record of more than 250 cumulative total of IND, BLA, and MAA submissions in Americas, Europe, Australia, Japan, and China. Spark Therapeutics' LUXTURNA was approved by US FDA as the first gene therapy in 2017 when he severed as the Head of Clinical Research and Operations. Today, he has participated in the development of 21 approved products. He is the co-author of more than 100 book chapters and scientific papers in highly-regarded peer-reviewed journals, including New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Medicine, Nature, Cell, and Science. Dr. Luk holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience as well as being certified in clinical research from the University of California-San Francisco.