LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Jaguar Gene Therapy, a company accelerating breakthroughs in gene therapy for patients suffering from severe genetic diseases, today announced the appointment of Joseph W. McIntosh, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. McIntosh joins Jaguar with more than 16 years of drug development experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, with a focus on developing gene therapies.
“Joe has extensive experience leading gene therapy programs and significant management experience across critical functions. He will be an invaluable addition to our executive management team as we grow and advance our pipeline of novel gene therapies,” said Sukumar “Suku” Nagendran, M.D., President of R&D at Jaguar Gene Therapy. “With his expertise and insights in genetic diseases, he is perfectly suited to be our Chief Medical Officer, responsible for advancing our robust pipeline of AAV9-based gene therapies targeting severe genetic diseases in patient populations with large unmet need.”
Dr. Joseph W. McIntosh joins Jaguar Gene Therapy from Aruvant Sciences, where he was Chief Medical Officer, overseeing clinical development, regulatory, pharmacovigilance and medical affairs and leading the development of the company’s investigational gene therapy for sickle cell disease. Prior to that, he served as Senior Vice President, Head of Clinical Development, at PTC Therapeutics, where he managed a portfolio of clinical studies across the therapeutic areas of genetic diseases and oncology. Before PTC Therapeutics, he served as Executive Director, Program Lead, Clinical Development, at NPS Pharmaceuticals. Earlier in his career, he held positions of increasing leadership at Eisai and Pfizer. Before joining the biopharma industry, he trained in emergency medicine at Kent and Canterbury Hospital in the UK. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biochemistry and a medical degree from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa.
Dr. McIntosh will report to Dr. Nagendran, further strengthening the proven management team at Jaguar Gene Therapy.
“Having worked in the field of gene therapy and rare diseases for the past decade, I closely followed AveXis and its success in bringing a life-saving gene therapy to patients with spinal muscular atrophy,” said Dr. McIntosh. “When I saw that former AveXis leadership had formed Jaguar, I was eager to join the team and contribute to their efforts to accelerate the development of breakthrough gene therapies. I believe Jaguar’s initial pipeline is really exciting and holds great promise for patients and families suffering from severe genetic diseases.”
Jaguar Gene Therapy recently closed a $139 million Series B funding and is using the proceeds to advance its initial preclinical pipeline of gene therapy treatments. They include JAG101, in development for galactosemia; JAG201, in development for a specific genetic cause of autism spectrum disorder; and JAG301, in development for Type 1 diabetes. Additionally, Axovia Therapeutics, a majority-owned subsidiary of Jaguar Gene Therapy that is focused on creating transformative therapies for ciliopathies, is advancing AXV101, a gene therapy treatment for BBS1, a subset of Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS).
About Jaguar Gene Therapy
Jaguar Gene Therapy, LLC is accelerating breakthroughs in gene therapy for patients suffering from severe genetic diseases. Led by former AveXis leadership, Jaguar leverages a proven management team with the expertise to accelerate the development, manufacturing and commercialization of novel gene therapy treatments. For more information, please visit www.jaguargenetherapy.com and follow Jaguar Gene Therapy on LinkedIn.
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Julie Normart
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Kate Neer
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