DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Precision BioSciences is pleased to welcome David Thomson, Ph.D., into a newly created position of Chief Development Officer. At Precision, David will guide preclinical strategy toward commercialization of greatly needed and potentially curative gene therapy and cell therapy products based on Precision’s proprietary ARCUS® genome editing platform.
“David brings a tremendous breadth of experience managing a large and diverse portfolio of preclinical therapeutic programs,” said Derek Jantz, CSO. “Our editing platform allows us to precisely modify almost any genetic target, so prioritizing our pipeline requires a comprehensive view of the rationale for each program — David’s unique qualifications give him just that.”
David comes to Precision from Shire, where he served as Senior Vice President and Global Head of Research and Nonclinical Development. At Shire, he developed both the internal research portfolio and external partnerships, having primary responsibility for initiating new research programs, transitioning these from research to the clinic and supporting them through commercialization. He has worked on a variety of therapeutic modalities and is looking forward to applying these experiences to his work in gene editing approaches.
“Precision presents an opportunity to realize the potential of gene editing approaches for delivering therapeutics that will have a significant impact on patients’ lives,” said David. “This team is fully committed to developing and commercializing truly revolutionary products in the near term, and I want to be a part of that.”
A medicinal chemist by training, David completed his Ph.D. at the University of Toronto and went on to postdoctoral studies at Yale. Prior to joining Shire, David had experience at a range of small and large pharmaceutical companies including Amgen and Boehringer-Ingelheim.
“We are thrilled to welcome David into the Precision team,” said Matt Kane, CEO. “He has exactly the experience needed to help us strategically focus our development efforts on products built around our unique gene editing capabilities.” Kane added, “It’s an exciting time for all of us.”
About Precision BioSciences
Precision BioSciences is a genome editing company dedicated to improving life. Our team seeks to solve significant problems in oncology, genetic disease, agriculture and beyond using a unique, proprietary genome editing platform called ARCUS. Our next-gen editing approach overcomes major challenges in gene editing, allowing translation of promising basic research to products that can fundamentally improve life.
