DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Taysha Gene Therapies, Inc. (Nasdaq: TSHA), a patient-centric, pivotal-stage gene therapy company focused on developing and commercializing AAV-based gene therapies for the treatment of monogenic diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) in both rare and large patient populations, today announced the most recent addition to its leadership team with the appointment of industry veteran Mary Newman as Chief Development Officer. Ms. Newman will oversee program and portfolio management, as well as translational sciences, and will report to Suyash Prasad, MBBS, M.Sc., MRCP, MRCPCH, FFPM, Taysha’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research and Development.
“We are pleased to welcome Mary to the Taysha leadership team,” said RA Session II, President, Founder and CEO of Taysha. “In the past few months, we have significantly expanded our extremely talented R&D team, and Mary is an important addition to support the achievement of our ambitious pipeline advancement goals. Her decades of experience in all key aspects of drug development, particularly in gene therapy and rare disease, will be invaluable as we continue to grow our business.”
Ms. Newman joins Taysha with more than 30 years of experience in regulatory affairs and research and development within the biotechnology industry, focusing on rare diseases. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Astellas Gene Therapies (formerly Audentes Therapeutics), where she oversaw global regulatory strategic development, all primary regulatory agency interactions, and regulatory compliance for Audentes’ development candidates. Prior to joining Audentes, Ms. Newman served as the Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance at SARcode Bioscience Inc., and was responsible for the development of Xiidra® for the treatment of dry eye disease. The company was acquired by Shire Ltd. She previously held various management positions, with increasing responsibility, in Regulatory Affairs at BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc., Berlex Inc. (now Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.), and Sequus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (now Johnson & Johnson). While at BioMarin, Ms. Newman oversaw the development and approval of Kuvan® for the treatment of phenylketonuria (PKU), Naglazyme® for mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) VI, and supported the final approval of Aldurazyme® for MPS I. She has also held various research and development leadership roles in oncology, neurology, and antifungal therapeutic areas. Ms. Newman serves as a member of the board of directors of Vedere Bio and is an advisor to the board of directors of Chameleon Biosciences. Ms. Newman holds a B.S. in Physiology from Oregon State University.
“I am excited to join Taysha at such a transformative time in the company’s corporate lifecycle,” said Ms. Newman. “Taysha is well-positioned to be a leader in developing disease-modifying gene therapies for patients with monogenic CNS diseases. I look forward to contributing to the further progression of the company’s robust pipeline of promising drug candidates.”
About Taysha Gene Therapies
Taysha Gene Therapies (Nasdaq: TSHA) is on a mission to eradicate monogenic CNS disease. With a singular focus on developing curative medicines, we aim to rapidly translate our treatments from bench to bedside. We have combined our team’s proven experience in gene therapy drug development and commercialization with the world-class UT Southwestern Gene Therapy Program to build an extensive, AAV gene therapy pipeline focused on both rare and large-market indications. Together, we leverage our fully integrated platform—an engine for potential new cures—with a goal of dramatically improving patients’ lives. More information is available at www.tayshagtx.com.
