GEMMABio Appoints Dr. May Orfali as Chief Medical Officer

Experienced medical executive brings expansive knowledge in clinical development and medical affairs

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- GEMMA Biotherapeutics ("GEMMABio") – a new therapeutics company founded by gene therapy pioneer Dr. Jim Wilson – today announced that it has named May Orfali, MD, MBA, as Chief Medical Officer.

Dr. Orfali brings nearly three decades of experience in clinical development and medical affairs. She has expertise in multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology, infectious diseases, and rare and orphan diseases. She has led clinical development, clinical operations, biostatistics, medical affairs, patient affairs, and regulatory and strategy execution for several successful companies.

"We are thrilled to welcome May to our team, whose multi-faceted background in pharmaceuticals and international health coupled with her proven leadership in advancing clinical programs will be hugely impactful to our growing company," said Dr. Wilson, President and CEO of GEMMABio. "Having led programs and teams focused on a variety of diseases as well as overseeing innovative platforms involving data, artificial intelligence (AI) and biological biomarkers, May brings well-rounded experience to guide our clinical operations and patient affairs."

Prior to joining GEMMABio, Dr. Orfali was the Chief Medical Officer at Harbinger Health, a company focused on the development of multicancer early detection products using AI technology, where she was responsible for clinical development, operations, medical and regulatory strategy. Dr. Orfali was previously the Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Sigilon Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company focused on acute and chronic diseases, which was acquired by Eli Lilly in 2023. Earlier in her career, Dr. Orfali held positions at Pfizer, Boston Scientific Corporation, World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), among other organizations.

"I am deeply inspired by GEMMABio's mission to advance innovative gene therapy research and deliver effective therapeutics globally, which will revolutionize the field of genetic medicines," said Dr. Orfali. "I am excited to work with such a dynamic and experienced team to help shape our strategy to improve the lives of patients and their families around the world."

Dr. Orfali earned her Medical Degree from the University of Baghdad and a Pharmaceutical Science Master of Business Administration from Cambridge University. She completed her Fellowship in Pediatric Oncology/Hematology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Children's Hospital, and she practiced medicine and conducted clinical research in medical oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Research Institute.

About GEMMABio

GEMMABio is a therapeutics company focused on advancing research and global access to life-changing advanced therapies for those living with rare diseases. The company will provide research and product development functions to bring gene therapy discoveries from the bench to the bedside faster and affordably.

GEMMABio is led by gene therapy industry pioneer Jim Wilson and his team of experts, who previously conducted their work in academia. Wilson is also the Chairperson of Franklin Biolabs, a Contract Research Organization that provides a full range of services from discovery to clinical vector manufacturing to the global genetic medicines industry.

For more information, please visit gemmabiotx.com.

Contacts:

Kristen Love

[email protected]

SOURCE GEMMA Biotherapeutics