Prolific Machines Announces the Appointment of Former Forge Biologics Executive, Christina Perry, as CFO Setting the Stage for Optogenetics Leader’s Biopharmaceutical Commercial Ramp Up

• Christina Perry, MSA, CPA, former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Forge Biologics, recently acquired by Ajinomoto Co., has been appointed as CFO of Prolific Machines to support the company’s meteoric growth as it works towards building a resilient, sustainable business.
• CFO leadership appointment signals Prolific’s continued momentum and preparation to onboard pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers onto its Photomolecular platform as it continues to make rapid technology and capability advances.

EMERYVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Prolific Machines, a biotechnology company using light to control biology, announces the appointment of Christina Perry to its expert team. Christina Perry joins Prolific as CFO where she will be charged with scaling Prolific’s growth and financial systems as it continues to focus on expanding its commercial reach. Perry will also leverage her deep pharmaceutical and CDMO expertise to help Prolific achieve its ambitious business goals.

Prolific Machines is advancing the developability of protein therapeutics. Its Photomolecular platform brings together patented optogenetic tools and proprietary closed-loop capabilities to unlock direct and dynamic control over any cellular function in any cell type. The Bay Area company enables biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies of all stages to solve complex protein challenges; light-enabled gene expression control enables the production of difficult to produce therapeutics by maximizing titer and improving protein quality consistency. Light-enabled receptor control drives cost reduction and shortens run times in antibody therapeutics through growth factor elimination.

"We’re building a new toolkit to control biology that offers biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies unprecedented control over their processes. As we prepare to announce even more opportunities to leverage our technology in the coming months, we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Christina to Prolific as our CFO,” said Deniz Kent, PhD, Prolific Machines’ Co-Founder & CEO. “Her deep biopharmaceutical expertise and acumen for developing winning businesses will be paramount to our path forward as we prepare to share more exciting news in the months ahead.”

Prior to joining Prolific, Perry spent the past four years with Forge Biologics, a viral vector gene therapy manufacturing and development company with the dual platform of CDMO capabilities and the development of proprietary gene therapy products. Here, she built and scaled Forge’s finance, accounting, and investor relations functions from the time of its Series A financing through one year post strategic acquisition by Ajinomoto Co., in 2023. During her time at Forge Biologics, the company raised over $300M in financings and scaled their business operations to support growth from seven to 350 employees. Perry has deep expertise managing complex entity legal structures and has had extensive experience in equity and debt financings. Over the last 15 years, she has worked with public and private companies and startups across varying industries, developing operational processes to scale with high growth. Perry spent the onset of her career at Deloitte as a CPA, earned her BBA at the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Accountancy from Miami University. She was also named a Woman of Influence by Columbus Business First in 2023.

“I have dedicated my career to building winning propositions through leading strategic fundraising, operational programs, and driving business growth,” said Christina Perry, Prolific Machines’ CFO. “When this opportunity came along, it so perfectly married my biopharmaceutical expertise and passion, and I couldn’t be more excited to help Prolific achieve its mission and business goals.”

This leadership team addition further accelerates Prolific’s momentum and positive impact potential across biopharmaceuticals and advanced nutrition. Learn more about Prolific Machines’ technology and capabilities at prolific-machines.com, and contact [e-mail] to explore partnership opportunities.

About Prolific Machines

Prolific Machines is ushering in a new era of biotechnology using light. Founded in 2020, the Bay Area company is widening the developability of protein therapeutics, using optogenetics to unlock unprecedented cellular control. Prolific’s Photomolecular platform brings together patented optogenetics tools and proprietary closed-loop control capabilities to unlock game changing solutions across difficult to produce proteins and antibody therapeutics. The company is accelerating the future of biology with innovators across biopharmaceuticals and advanced nutrition to create a healthier, more sustainable tomorrow and is supported by leading investors, including Ki Tua Fund, the corporate venture arm of the Fonterra Co-operative Group; Breakthrough Energy Ventures; Mayfield; SOSV; In-Q-Tel; and others. Visit prolific-machines.com to learn more, and contact [e-mail] to inquire about co-developing the future of biology.