It’s never too early to start thinking about the end goal. That’s been my philosophy throughout my career, and in the rapidly maturing field of gene therapy, it’s non-negotiable. After all, even after we as an industry nail the science, we will face substantial clinical, regulatory and logistical challenges in bringing these therapies to market. […]
Author Archives: avrobioprod
Leave no stone unturned: A pipeline story
Building a leading gene therapy pipeline in under two years (and a lot of air miles): how to persevere and make the calls that matter. Throughout a career in business development I’ve sat at every seat at the negotiating table, but I count my experience building AVROBIO’s leading lentiviral vector (LV) ex vivo gene therapy pipeline as […]
Engineering a broader bio-delivery system for gene therapy
The first gene therapies approved in the U.S. have undeniably transformed lives. Families describe the results with genuine wonder: Children who had been going blind can now see the moon for the first time, thanks to Spark Therapeutics’s Luxturna. Babies who would otherwise be paralyzed are crawling, rolling, and even learning to walk after treatment […]
Scaling up gene therapy to address global commercialization challenges
With clinical success, all eyes turn to gene therapy manufacturing and commercialization challenges Cell and gene therapies are here to stay as a new class of life-changing medicines. They recently headlined the fiscal year report issued by the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), in which CBER Director Peter Marks prominently noted, “FY 2018 […]
Why reputation is more important than ever for biotech companies … and what you can do about it
“It takes twenty years to build a reputation, and five minutes to ruin it,” Warren Buffett said, and added “If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” In biotech, a strong reputation is difficult to build, is even harder to establish quickly, and can be easily tarnished. So, what’s the landscape and what should […]
Leadership at all levels in biotech
Biotech is an industry that calls for leaders. It requires people who are willing to take risks, conquer new science, and have endurance for the many years it takes to develop a new medicine. In addition, professionals who thrive in biotech have the know-how, confidence and guts to tackle business goals that are covered in […]
Levers to get gene therapy to cruising altitude
I’m writing a series of blogs with insights from inside the gene therapy world. Starting with the analogy of the airplane industry, I highlighted how decades of sustained innovation can translate big ideas impacting everyday life. This theme was kicked off several weeks ago here. In the case of ex vivo gene therapy, ensuring proper “take off” […]
Bring your A-Game for BD
As with most professions – especially those that involve longer-term outcomes – the way people get good at BD is with experience. So, I’d like to share some of my experiences doing BD from various vantage points, with the hope that it might help you jump start the career of anyone interested in BD. Or […]
Taking flight: Gene therapy ascending
The gene therapy field is ready to soar into a new era. This is a pivotal moment and there is clearly a tail wind at our back. Our sights are set on developing gene therapies to deliver dramatic impact, and even cures, for patients. Our name, AVROBIO, is inspired by cutting edge aeronautical innovation from […]
We saw it coming in pharma: Now gene therapy is biotech 2.0 for rare diseases
It seems so clear now: gene therapy is on a roll. As 2017 came to a close, the first gene therapy was approved by FDA and more than 2,500 gene therapy clinical trials are ongoing, including over 120 trials in pivotal Phase 2/3 or Phase 3 studies (here). Remarkably, gene therapy is now the second […]
