REGENXBIO - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Independent Board Member
- Director at Scenic Biotech BV
Dr. Glucksmann currently serves as a director at Scenic Biotech BV, a privately held biotechnology company. Previously, she was President and Chief Executive Officer at Cedilla Therapeutics and an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Third Rock Ventures where she focused on company formation. Before that, she was a founding employee and the Chief Operating Officer at Editas Medicine. She was also a founding employee and Senior Vice President of research and business operations at Cerulean Pharma. She began her career at Millennium Pharmaceuticals as a research scientist and held roles of increasing responsibility, culminating in the role of Vice President of platform technology groups, prior to transitioning into a senior position in strategic program management and operations. Dr. Glucksmann earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology from the University of Chicago in 1989 and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1993.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Founding Partner of FOXKISER
Allan Fox is the founding partner of FOXKISER, a nationally recognized firm specializing in biomedical research and development, law and public policy. He has created and built numerous ventures in both the public and private sectors. Mr. Fox specializes in identifying business opportunities and improving competitive market position in highly regulated industries, particularly health care. Before forming FOXKISER, Mr. Fox established the Washington office of the law firm of Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays & Handler. While in the public sector, he served as Chief of Staff and Chief Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Jacob K. Javits of New York. He also served as Chief Counsel to the U.S. Senate Health and Scientific Research Subcommittee, chaired by Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Mr. Fox was a Fellow in Law, Science and Medicine at Yale Law School where he received an LL.M. degree. Mr. Fox also holds a J.D. and B.A. from Temple University.
Curran M. Simpson is the Chief Operating Officer at REGENXBIO. Prior to joining REGENXBIO, Mr. Simpson was the Head of North American Supply Chain and Interim Chief Operating Officer and Integration Lead at GlaxoSmithKline and the Human Genome Sciences division of GlaxoSmithKline. Mr. Simpson earlier served as Senior Vice President of Operations and Vice President of Manufacturing Operations at Human Genome Sciences. Prior to Human Genome Sciences, Mr. Simpson was Director of Manufacturing Sciences at Biogen and Director of Engineering at Covance Biotechnology Services. Earlier in his career, Mr. Simpson served as Recovery Technology Coordinator, Worldwide and Pilot Plant Manager of the North America Division at Novo-Nordisk Biochem; Senior Research Engineer at Genentech; Senior Scientist, Development at Genencor; and Senior Chemist at Nalco Chemical Co. Mr. Simpson has an M.S. in surface and colloid science from Clarkson University and a B.S. in chemical engineering and chemistry from the Clarkson College of Technology.
Job Titles:
- Independent Board Member
- Chief Executive Officer of DBV Technologies SA
Mr. Tassé is Chief Executive Officer of DBV Technologies SA. Previously, Mr. Tassé was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alcresta Therapeutics, Inc., as well as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ikaria, Inc., prior to its acquisition by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals. He has also held leadership roles at Baxter International Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline plc. Mr. Tassé earned a B.S. in biochemistry from the University of Montreal. He currently serves as a director at Indivior PLC and previously served as a director at Bellerophon Therapeutics, Inc. Mr. Tassé has previously been a member of the Healthcare Leadership Council, the Health Section Governing Board of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and the board of directors of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).
Dr. Stump was most recently Executive Vice President, Research and Development at Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (HGS) and joined the company in 1999. Prior to joining HGS, he held roles of increasing responsibility at Genentech, Inc. from 1989 to 1999, most recently as Vice President, Clinical Research and Genentech Fellow. Prior to joining Genentech, Dr. Stump was an Associate Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at the University of Vermont. He earned an A.B. from Earlham College and an M.D. at Indiana University, followed by residency and fellowship training in internal medicine, hematology, oncology and biochemistry at the University of Iowa. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of MacroGenics, Inc. and a member of the Board of Trustees of Earlham College.
Dr. Olivier Danos is the Chief Scientific Officer for REGENXBIO. Prior to joining REGENXBIO, Dr. Danos was Senior Vice President, Cell and Gene Therapy at Biogen Inc. At Biogen, Dr. Danos led company efforts dedicated to identifying and developing new technologies for gene transfer and genome engineering. Dr. Danos also co-founded Lysogene, a NAV Technology Licensee focused on the development of gene therapy product candidates for the treatment of Mucopolysaccharidosis Type IIIA. Prior to Biogen, Dr. Danos served as Senior Vice President, Molecular Medicine, Synthetic Biology and Gene Regulation at Kadmon Pharmaceuticals. Earlier in his career, Dr. Danos was Director of the Gene Therapy Consortium of the University College of London, Scientific Director at Genethon and Senior Director of Research at Somatix Therapy Corporation. Dr. Danos has directed research focused on gene therapy at the Necker - Enfants Malades Hospital in Paris, the French National Centre for Scientific Research and the Pasteur Institute in Paris.
Mr. Migausky has more than 30 years of public company leadership and senior financial management experience. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Immunovant, Inc. Mr. Migausky previously served as interim Chief Financial Officer for Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. He also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Dyax Corp., a position he held from 2008 through the company's acquisition by Shire in 2016. Earlier, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Wellstat Management Company and as Chief Financial Officer of IGEN International and BioVeris Corporation from 1986 through their acquisitions by F. Hoffman LaRoche in 2004 and 2007, respectively. Additionally, Mr. Migausky has served as a trustee at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Institute since 2015. He previously served as a director at Hyperion Catalysis International and Dimension Therapeutics, Inc. Mr. Migausky obtained a B.S. from Boston College and an M.B.A. in Finance from Babson College.
Dr. Bennett, a leading molecular genetics researcher, is the F.M. Kirby Emeritus Professor of Ophthalmology at the Perelman School of Medicine and previously served as director of the Center for Advanced Retinal and Ocular Therapeutics (CAROT) at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, Dr. Bennett is a Senior Investigator at the Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). She also co-founded life science companies Spark Therapeutics (acquired by Roche), GenSight Biologics and Limelight Bio. Prior to the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Bennett worked as an academic instructor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In more than 25 years of academic research, Dr. Bennett has published or contributed to more than 120 peer-reviewed publications on gene therapy, including her pioneering work on gene therapy delivery of RPE65, which was foundational to the approval of Luxturna®. Dr. Bennett received her Ph.D. in Zoology and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkley, and obtained an M.D. from Harvard University. She also completed postdoctoral fellowships in Radiobiology and Environmental Health at the University of California, San Francisco, Human Genetics at Yale School of Medicine and Development Genetics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She received her B.S. in Biology from Yale University.
Job Titles:
- Independent Board Member
- Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Merck
Ms. Zachary is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Merck. In this role, she serves as a legal advisor to Merck's directors and executives, leads the company's office of general counsel and sets the company's global legal strategy. She is also responsible for the company's global safety and environment, and global security functions. Prior to joining Merck, Ms. Zachary was a partner at the international law firm Covington & Burling, LLP. She practiced in the area of pharmaceutical and medical device regulatory law and advised a wide range of manufacturers and trade associations on compliance with government requirements for the development, manufacture and sale of their products. Prior to that, Ms. Zachary served as an Associate Chief Counsel for enforcement at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. Ms. Zachary holds a B.S./B.A. in biology and chemistry from Arizona State University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Job Titles:
- Lead Independent Director
Dr. Karabelas has held a number of senior executive positions in major pharmaceutical companies, including Head of Healthcare and CEO of Worldwide Pharmaceuticals for Novartis AG, where he had full responsibility for Novartis Pharma and Ciba Vision, as well as strategic and operational leadership of R&D. Dr. Karabelas was also Executive Vice President of SmithKline Beecham with responsibility for U.S. and European operations, regulatory, and strategic marketing. Most recently, Dr. Karabelas has chaired the boards of several biopharmaceutical companies, including Human Genome Sciences, Inc., Vanda Pharmaceuticals, Inc., SkyePharma PLC and Polyphor, AG. He currently chairs the board of Inotek and is a venture partner at Apple Tree Partners. Dr. Karabelas holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacokinetics from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy.
Job Titles:
- CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
- Founding President
- Member of the Leadership Team
- PRESIDENT
Ken Mills is the founding President and Chief Executive Officer of REGENXBIO. Prior to REGENXBIO, Mr. Mills was the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Business Development at Meso Scale Diagnostics, a privately held life sciences company. There, he served as a member of the founding management team, and worked to establish the company operations and ongoing business strategy. In this position, Mr. Mills supervised all company activities, including direct management of corporate and business development, strategic planning, finance and accounting activities. Prior to Meso Scale Diagnostics, he was Director of Business Development for IGEN International, a medical diagnostics company. Mr. Mills received an S.B. in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Job Titles:
- EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT of INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Laura A. Coruzzi is the Executive Vice President of Intellectual Property at REGENXBIO. Prior to joining REGENXBIO, Ms. Coruzzi was a partner at Jones Day, preceded by Pennie & Edmonds, LLP where she counseled clients on patent strategies for biotech and pharmaceutical therapeutics and diagnostics. Her practice encompassed all aspects of patent law, including prosecution, litigation and appeals, in a variety of disciplines in the life sciences, including genetic engineering, molecular biology, virology, vaccines, immunology, therapeutic antibodies, other biologic and small molecule therapeutics, diagnostics, drug discovery, and drug delivery. Earlier in her career, Ms. Coruzzi was one of the first members of Pennie & Edmonds' biotechnology group founded by S. Leslie Misrock, affectionately known as the "father of biotechnology patent law." Most recently, she was a member of the team representing Myriad in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics (U.S. Supreme Court 2013). Ms. Coruzzi received her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, her Ph.D., M.S. and B.S. in Biology from Fordham University, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine before entering the practice of law.
Patrick J. Christmas II is the Chief Legal Officer at REGENXBIO. He has over 15 years of life sciences leadership and public market experience. Mr. Christmas has managed the legal, compliance, government affairs and business development functions at several biotech and pharmaceutical companies during times of significant growth and business success. Before joining REGENXBIO, he was Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Lumara Health (formerly KV Pharmaceutical Company - NYSE: KV.A) through its acquisition by AMAG Pharmaceuticals and Perrigo. Prior to Lumara Health, he was General Counsel and Secretary at the Wellstat Group of Companies and General Counsel at BioVeris Corporation (formerly NASDAQ: BIOV) until its acquisition by Roche. Prior to his extensive life sciences experience, Mr. Christmas was an Associate at Akin, Gump, a leading international law firm. Mr. Christmas received his J.D. degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame and a B.A. in Economics from Boston College.
Job Titles:
- EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT of COMMERCIAL STRATEGY and OPERATIONS
Ram Palanki, Pharm.D., joined REGENXBIO Management Team in August of 2018 as the Senior Vice President of Commercial Strategy and Operations. Dr. Palanki brings more than 15 years of experience in ophthalmology across pharmaceutical strategy and development, marketing, market access, sales, pricing, reimbursement, supply chain, distribution, business development, medical affairs and portfolio planning leadership. Prior to joining REGENXBIO, he was Senior Vice President of Commercial for all of Americas at Santen Inc. Preceding Santen, he was Global Head of Marketing and Sales at Thrombogenics, Inc. where he led the commercial launch for Jetrea, a novel proteolytic enzyme therapy for symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion. Previously, Dr. Palanki served as Director of Global Marketing and Sales at NeoVista, Inc. and earlier in his career, held several positions at Genentech as part of the team that developed and launched Lucentis. Prior to Genentech, he worked at Eyetech Pharmaceuticals as part of the initial team submitting the New Drug Application for Macugen and at Novartis Pharmaceuticals in the New Product Commercialization group. Dr. Palanki earned his Pharm.D. at Albany College of Pharmacy in New York and completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Job Titles:
- CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS and PEOPLE OFFICER
Shiva G. Fritsch is the Chief Communications and People Officer at REGENXBIO. Ms. Fritsch brings over two decades of experience in research, development and human resources in the biopharmaceutical industry to REGENXBIO. For the past decade, Ms. Fritsch has been a leader in different organizations where she focused on Leadership and Organization Development. Prior to joining REGENXBIO, Ms. Fritsch was the Senior Director of Talent Management with Novavax, Inc. Before Novavax, Ms. Fritsch held senior human resources roles with Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Human Genome Sciences, Inc. In her prior roles, Ms. Fritsch served as a member of HR Leadership teams, where she directed activities related to Talent Acquisition, Organization and Leadership Development, and implemented HR Business Partner models. Ms. Fritsch holds an MBA from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park, as well as a BA in Biology and Neurobiology from Bryn Mawr College.
Steve Pakola, M.D. is the Chief Medical Officer for REGENXBIO. Prior to joining REGENXBIO, Dr. Pakola was Chief Medical Officer at Aerpio Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Pakola brings more than 20 years of biopharmaceutical experience, including holding key leadership roles in preclinical and clinical development, regulatory affairs and medical affairs. Dr. Pakola's therapeutic area experience encompasses retinal disorders, including diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema and age-related macular degeneration, as well as other non-ophthalmic disease areas. He was the lead inventor and program lead for the Jetrea® (ocriplasmin) program, from inception in 2002 through the therapy's United States and European regulatory submissions in 2012. Prior to Aerpio, Dr. Pakola served as Chief Medical Officer at Amakem NV and ThromboGenics Inc. Earlier in his career, Dr. Pakola served as Associate Director of Cardiovascular Clinical Research at Boehringer Ingelheim, where he was Global Medical Lead on the Lipid-Lowering Development Program and the USA Medical Lead for the Direct Thrombin Inhibitor Dabigatran Program. Prior to that, Dr. Pakola served in senior-level clinical development positions at Quintiles Cardiovascular Therapeutics and at Organon. Dr. Pakola earned a B.A., summa cum laude, and an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.
Vit Vasista is the Chief Financial Officer at REGENXBIO. Prior to joining REGENXBIO, Mr. Vasista served as Principal at PRTM Management Consultants, where he developed operational strategies for both private and public organizations, including the development of market entry strategies, innovative business models and operational improvements. Earlier in his career, Mr. Vasista served as Director, Business Development at Meso Scale Diagnostics, a privately held life sciences company. Mr. Vasista received an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an M.S. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University and an S.B. in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.