- Dr. Favre brings extensive experience in gene therapy, immunology and drug development
- Appointment comes at a pivotal time of Company growth as it prepares for clinical development and expands its pipeline into other gene therapies
BARCELONA,Spain, June 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SpliceBio, a genetic medicines company exploiting its proprietary Protein Splicing platform to develop next generation gene therapies, is pleased to announce the appointment of David Favre, D.V.M., Ph.D., as Chief Development Officer (CDO).
Dr. Favre brings more than 25 years of experience in gene therapy, immunology and drug development throughout academia and the biopharma industry. He joins SpliceBio from Innoskel, where he served as Chief Scientific Officer. Prior to that, Dr. Favre was Vice President of Translational Medicine at Asklepios Biopharmaceutical (AskBio), where he led the platforms and program resources to marshal preclinical, INDs and early clinical programs, particularly focusing on the immunogenicity and adjunctive immunotherapy of AAV gene therapy and metabolic diseases. Previously Dr. Favre was the Director of HIV Biology at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), where he spearheaded their portfolio of immunotherapy drugs. Dr. Favre has also served as Adjunct Associate Professor at the University North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Miquel Vila-Perelló, CEO and co-founder of SpliceBio, said: "I am excited to welcome David to the SpliceBio leadership team at an exciting time of platform expansion as we begin preparations for clinical development. His extensive knowledge in gene therapy, immunology and drug development will be invaluable as he takes the lead on development of the Company's therapeutic candidates from preclinical research to the clinic. David will focus on advancing the company's lead AAV gene therapy program for Stargardt disease towards clinical development and expanding the company's Protein Splicing platform and pipeline to other genes that exceed the packaging capacity of AAV vectors."
David Favre, CDO of SpliceBio, commented: "SpliceBio has built an impressive gene therapy platform that addresses one of the most fundamental challenges facing the gene therapy field today: the limited packaging capacity of AAV vectors. I am thrilled to join the SpliceBio leadership team to lead the development of several novel programs aimed at diseases that have been elusive to gene therapy until today."
David's appointment follows an oversubscribed Series A financing in February 2022 which is the largest Series A round for a Spanish biotech company. The company was also awarded a Private-Public Partnership Grant ("Colaboración Público-Privada") from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation in January 2023.
Dr. Favre earned a D.V.M. from the Veterinary School of Nantes, France, and a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Paris, which focused on the immunology of AAV gene therapy and preclinical assessment in non-human primates. He completed his post-doctoral studies in immunology at the Gladstone Institutes and at UCSF in San Francisco, US.
About SpliceBio
SpliceBio is a genetic medicines company exploiting its proprietary Protein Splicing platform to develop the next generation of gene therapies. The Company's platform enables efficient delivery of large genes with adeno-associated vectors (AAV), overcoming the most fundamental challenge in the quest to curing a broad range of genetic diseases. SpliceBio's platform is based on technology developed in the Muir Lab at Princeton University after more than 20 years of pioneering intein and protein engineering research. For additional information, please visit www.splice.bio.
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