MENLO PARK, Calif. & DALLAS, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ReCode Therapeutics, a genetic medicines company using superior delivery to power the next wave of mRNA and gene correction therapeutics, announced today the formation of the company's scientific advisory board (SAB) and the addition of scientific advisor, Elliott Sigal, M.D., Ph.D. Chaired by Daniel J. Siegwart, Ph.D., inaugural members of the SAB include Rafael Amado, M.D., Carrolee Barlow, M.D., Ph.D., Justin Hanes, Ph.D. and Eric Olson, Ph.D. These advisors will work closely with management to support the company’s expansion of its selective organ targeting (SORT) lipid nanoparticle (LNP) platform capabilities and advance its pipeline.
“We are honored and privileged to bring together this esteemed group of medical and scientific advisors who will work with us to shape ReCode’s pipeline of genetic medicines,” said Shehnaaz Suliman, M.D., MBA, M.Phil., chief executive officer and a board member of ReCode Therapeutics. “These thought leaders bring tremendous expertise in genetic medicine, delivery technology and drug development, which will be invaluable as we expand our differentiated platform into new areas, including muscle, central nervous system, liver, and oncology indications and advance our lead mRNA programs for primary ciliary dyskinesia and cystic fibrosis into the clinic in 2023.”
The founding members of ReCode’s SAB include:
Daniel J. Siegwart, Ph.D., chair of the scientific advisory board
Dr. Siegwart is the W. Ray Wallace Distinguished Chair in Molecular Oncology Research and associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and is a co-founder of ReCode Therapeutics. Dr. Siegwart has been a pioneer in the design of delivery technologies for genetic medicines. ReCode’s SORT LNP platform, developed by Dr. Siegwart and his lab, was described by Nature as one of the “Seven Technologies to Watch in 2022.” In 2016, his lab reported the first non-viral system for in vivo CRISPR/Cas gene editing. Dr. Siegwart and his research team are focused on solving challenges in disease therapy and diagnosis, with a focus on the development of new materials that can deliver genetic medicines to treat cancer and genetic diseases.
Rafael Amado, M.D.
Dr. Amado serves as executive vice president of research and development at Allogene Therapeutics, Inc. He most recently served as president of research and development at Adaptimmune Therapeutics PLC, after serving as its chief medical officer. Previously, he held several roles of increasing responsibility at GSK, most recently as senior vice president and head of oncology research and development. Dr. Amado has built a career leading the development of a number of breakthrough therapies in hematology and oncology, with a focus on immunotherapies and CAR-T drug discovery and development.
Carrolee Barlow, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Barlow was most recently the chief medical officer of Escape Bio, Inc. Prior to joining Escape Bio, she served as chief executive officer of the Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center. Dr. Barlow was also formerly acting chief medical officer at Amicus Therapeutics and was a co-founder, chief scientific officer and chief medical officer of BrainCells, Inc. She also served as director of molecular neuroscience at Merck Research Laboratories and was a professor at the Salk Institute. Dr. Barlow is an expert in neuroscience and neurodegeneration, the treatment of rare and neurological diseases and clinical development for new therapies.
Justin Hanes, Ph.D.
Dr. Hanes is the Lewis J. Ort professor of ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University, with secondary appointments in chemical & biomolecular engineering, environmental health sciences, neurosurgery and oncology. A globally recognized leader of research at the interface of nanotechnology and medicine, Dr. Hanes focuses his research on the delivery of genetic medicines, characterization of mucus and design, and testing of nanoparticles that can penetrate mucus barriers. His lab recently discovered methods to make drug- and gene-loaded particles that efficiently penetrate mucus barriers, which may allow for more effective therapies for eye diseases.
Eric Olson, Ph.D.
Dr. Olson is the founding chair of the department of molecular biology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He also directs the Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine and the Wellstone Center for Muscular Dystrophy Research. He holds the Robert A. Welch Distinguished Chair, the Pogue Distinguished Chair and the Annie and Willie Nelson Professorship. Dr. Olson and his team discovered many of the genes that control heart and muscle development and disease. His most recent work has provided a new strategy for correction of Duchenne muscular dystrophy-causing mutations using CRISPR gene editing.
Newly added scientific advisor:
Elliott Sigal, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Sigal currently serves as co-chair of the scientific advisory board for Amgen, Inc. and as a senior advisor to New Enterprise Associates, Inc. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Adaptimmune Therapeutics, Vir Biotechnology, Surface Oncology, Tessera Therapeutics and Affinia Therapeutics. He is a former executive vice president of Bristol Myers Squibb where he also served as chief scientific officer and president of research and development from 2004 until 2013. Under his leadership, BMS brought 14 new medicines to market and became a leading immuno-oncology company. In 2012, SCRIP Intelligence named Dr. Sigal the best R&D chief in the pharmaceutical industry.
About ReCode Therapeutics
ReCode Therapeutics is a genetic medicines company using superior delivery to power the next wave of messenger RNA (mRNA) and gene correction therapeutics. ReCode’s selective organ targeting (SORT) lipid nanoparticle (LNP) platform is a next-generation, genetic medicines technology that enables precise delivery to target organs and cells beyond the liver. The SORT LNP platform is the foundation for ReCode’s pipeline of disease-modifying mRNA and gene correction therapeutics. ReCode’s lead programs are focused on primary ciliary dyskinesia and cystic fibrosis. ReCode is leveraging its SORT LNP platform and nucleic acid technologies to expand its pipeline with therapeutics that use mRNA-mediated replacement and gene correction in target organs with precision targeting of disease-relevant cells. For more information, visit www.recodetx.com and follow us on Twitter @ReCodeTx and on LinkedIn.
