Intergalactic Therapeutics Announces Scientific Advisory Board Membership

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Jan 20, 2022, 08:00 ET

BOSTON, Jan. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Intergalactic Therapeutics, a focal non-viral gene therapy company, has announced members of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB): Sangeeta Bhatia, M.D., Ph.D., Thaddeus Dryja, M.D., Rachel Huckfeldt, M.D., Ph.D., Francisco Quintana, Ph.D., Ulrich von Andrian, M.D., Ph.D., and Weiping Zou, M.D., Ph.D. The SAB will provide strategic guidance to Intergalactic leadership to advance the company's innovative scientific platform and its discovery and development programs.

"We are proud and honored to collaborate with the extraordinary group of scientists who have agreed to join our Scientific Advisory Board," said José Lora, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Intergalactic. "Our SAB's input and feedback will be critical to help advance our focal non-viral gene therapy programs to patients in need. It is a very exciting time for all of us at Intergalactic."

Intergalactic Therapeutics Scientific Advisory Board Members

Sangeeta N. Bhatia M.D., Ph.D., is a Professor of Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Director of the Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Bhatia's laboratory leverages miniaturization tools from the computer industry for medical innovation with applications in liver disease, cancer and infectious diseases. In addition, Dr. Bhatia has contributed to more than 50 issued or pending patents, launched multiple biotechnology companies to improve human health, and published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers. She was the 25th person in history to be an elected member of all three US National Academies: National Academy of Science (NAS), National Academy of Medicine (NAM), and National Academy of Engineering (NAE). She has been honored with the Lemelson-MIT Prize, the Heinz Medal, and the Othmer Gold Medal for groundbreaking inventions and advocacy for women in STEM fields.

Thaddeus Dryja, M.D., is a Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and an eye pathologist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear. At the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Dr. Dryja was the Head of Translational Medicine in Ophthalmology and then the Vice President and Head of Ophthalmology Research. His research discoveries included finding compelling evidence for the recessive nature of oncogenic mutations at tumor suppressor genes like the retinoblastoma gene, the identification and cloning of the retinoblastoma gene, and the identification of 16 different genes responsible for retinitis pigmentosa and other forms of retinal degeneration and retinal dysfunction.

Rachel Huckfeldt, M.D., Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and a clinician-scientist in the Inherited Retinal Disorders Service at Massachusetts Eye and Ear (MEE). Dr. Huckfeldt completed combined M.D./Ph.D. training at Washington University in St. Louis, followed by an ophthalmology residency at MEE and clinical fellowships in medical retina at the University of Iowa and inherited retinal disorders at MEE. She is the principal investigator for MEE's participation in multiple first-in-human clinical trials of genetic therapies.

Francisco Quintana, Ph.D., is a Professor of Neurology at the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and an Associate Member at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. He is also the incoming President of the International Society of Neuro Immunology (ISNI). Dr. Quintana's neuroimmunological research is focused on investigating signaling pathways that control inflammation and neurodegeneration, with the ultimate goal of identifying novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers for immune-mediated and neurodegenerative disorders. He has published over 200 peer reviewed articles and book chapters.

Ulrich von Andrian, M.D., Ph.D. is a Professor of Immunology at Harvard Medical School and a steering committee member of the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT, and Harvard University. Throughout his career, Dr. von Andrian has worked to elucidate the multi-faceted fundamental processes that are essential for the body's defense against infections and for the pathogenesis, prevention, and treatement of inflammatory diseases. His work on leukocyte trafficking is now an integral part of every immunology textbook and has helped to lay a conceptual foundation for the development of drugs that block tissue-specific leukocyte trafficking to treat autoimmune diseases. The broad impact of Dr. von Andrian's work is evident in the scientific literature; according to Google Scholar, publications authored by Dr. von Andrian have been cited over 60,000 times (h-index: 124).

Weiping Zou, M.D., Ph.D., is a Professor of Pathology, Immunology, Biology and Surgery at the University of Michigan and Director of the Michigan Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy. Dr. Zou was the AACR Cancer Immunology (CIMM) Chairperson 2019-2020 and has served as the AAI Cancer Immunology Abstract Programming Chair for four years. He has published more than 200 articles and book chapters, including 36 articles in Nature, Science, and the Cell journal series. Dr. Zou's laboratory is one of the most cited research teams in the field of immunology. His early concept of combinatorial immunotherapeutic strategies has laid the foundation for current cancer immunotherapy and has provided rationales for novel combinations.

About Intergalactic Therapeutics

Intergalactic Therapeutics, an ATP company, is revolutionizing focal gene therapies with a novel non-viral platform comprised of its versatile synthetic and episomal C³DNA (covalently closed and circular DNA) molecules; a customized approach to focal therapeutic delivery using its lead delivery technology, the COMET^® pulsed electric field system; and a proprietary cell-free manufacturing process invented to make gene therapy safer and more accessible for patients. With advanced programs in ophthalmology as well as expansion areas in additional tissues and diseases, Intergalactic is dedicated to transforming genetic medicine through focal gene therapies. For more information, visit www.intergalactictx.com.

Contact: [email protected]

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