People living with AMD are our guide. We seek to anticipate their needs and understand their journey. This drives us to develop innovative treatments to fight the devastating impact of AMD.
Here are the stories of some of the people that inspire us every day.
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Senior Consultant to The Francis Crick Institute in London and Regius Professor of Physic Emeritus, University of Cambridge, UK
Dr Peters received his medical degree from the Welsh National School of Medicine in Cardiff, United Kingdom. Dr. Peters was knighted in the 1993 New Year’s Honours List, and he is a Fellow of The Royal Society of London and a Founding Fellow and later President of the Academy of Medical Sciences. His research interests centre on the immunology of renal and vascular disease, particularly how delineation of immunological mechanisms can lead to new therapies for these disorders. Sir Keith has extensive industrial experience, having served on the Medical Advisory Board of Merck Research Laboratories and chaired the Scientific Advisory Board of Amersham. From 2005-2016 he served as Senior Consultant to GlaxoSmithKline, reporting directly to the President of Research and Development.
AVI CHAWLA
People and Organization Head
Avi Chawla is People and Organization Head at Gyroscope. Avi is an agile leader driven by purpose, creative curiosity and compassion. Her purpose is to enable organizations and individuals to find their spirit.
She has diversified experience and thought leadership across multiple HR disciplines having worked across US, Switzerland, India and UK. During her time at Novartis she has been instrumental in leading transformations during growth phase, turning around and integrating organizations, leading personal growth initiatives organization wide for leaders and facilitating large scale changes. Prior to joining to Novartis, Avi spent time in research designing chips for a semiconductor firm. She holds a Bachelors in Electronics Engineering and Masters in HR (Gold medalist) from India.
NADIA WAHEED, MD
Advisor
Nadia Waheed is Advisor at Gyroscope. Previously Nadia was Director of the Boston Image Reading Center and Consultant at the New England Eye Center, Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.
Nadia received her medical degree from the Aga Khan University Medical School, Pakistan, and a Masters in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health. She trained in Ophthalmology at the Harvard Medical School/Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary Program in Ophthalmology, which was followed by a fellowship in retina at the Harvard Medical School/Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston. Nadia then joined the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute as faculty. This was followed by two years of International Ophthalmology where she established the Retina Unit at the Shifa Hospital.
Nadia has authored over 50 papers in peer-reviewed publications. She has co-authored and edited three books in Ophthalmology and has contributed to several more. She has participated as a principal investigator or co-investigator in many clinical trials and laboratory investigations. Her research interests include ocular imaging, diabetic eye disease and age related macular degeneration, as well as clinical trial design and analysis.
IAN PITFIELD, PhD
Head of Technical Operations
Ian Pitfield is SVP, Technical Operations at Gyroscope. Ian graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1992 with a PhD in Biotechnology. After a short period working for SAF developing downstream processes for high value, low volume products, Ian moved to SmithKline Beecham/GlaxoSmithKline to start a 20+ year career in both Pharmaceutical Drug development and Cell/Gene Therapy.
From June 2012, Ian transitioned to CMC Project Leadership in GSK’s Cell and Gene Therapy CMC platform leading development, validation and regulatory submission of Strimvelis, the world’s first approved ex-vivo autologous gene therapy.
CHRIS CLEVENGER, PhD
Head of Clinical Operations and Medical Affairs
Chris Clevenger is SVP Clinical Operations and Medical Affairs at Gyroscope. Chris has over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector, working across multiple therapeutic areas at AstraZeneca, Genentech and Ultragenyx, as well as boutique management consulting firms. His specialties include building and leading field medical teams, and creating bespoke patient identification and recruitment programs for clinical trials in rare and complex diseases. Chris holds a PhD in Applied Physiology from the University of Colorado.
TIFFANY HOWARD
SVP Commercial Planning
Tiffany Howard is SVP Commercial Planning at Gyroscope. Tiffany currently leads overall commercial planning efforts and the surgical training group. With over 20 years of industry experience and the last six in Ophthalmology, Tiffany has worked in large pharma and small biotech companies, including Pfizer, J&J, Biogen, Genentech, and now Gyroscope. Her roles have spanned a variety of commercial experience and leadership across marketing, field sales, pipeline planning, strategy, and operations. She has built and led highly successful and engaged teams as well as launched multiple new drugs and line extension indications in areas of high unmet medical need.
CYNTHIA L. GROSSKREUTZ, MD, PhD
Vice President and Global Head of Ophthalmology at the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR)
Cyndy Grosskreutz is Vice President and Global Head of Ophthalmology at the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), a position she has held since 2017. In this role, she leads a group of talented scientists to develop pioneering ophthalmic medicines with the goal of producing therapeutic breakthroughs for patients with eye disease — using gene therapy, biologics and innovative small molecule approaches. For Gyroscope, Cyndy will oversee the integration of the preclinical Gyroscope portfolio into NIBR Ophthalmology and support the ongoing clinical trials. From 2010 -2017, Cyndy was the Global Translational Medicine (TM) Head for Ophthalmology at NIBR and her group led all of the first-in-human and proof-of-concept clinical
trials for ophthalmic indications at Novartis.
Prior to joining Novartis, Cyndy was the co-Director of the Glaucoma Service and headed an R01-funded laboratory examining neuroprotection and mechanisms of retinal ganglion cell death in glaucoma at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary/Harvard Medical School. She is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and has been on the Harvard Medical School faculty since 1994. Cyndy received her MD and PhD in Pharmacology from The University of Iowa College of Medicine, did her Ophthalmology Residency and Glaucoma Fellowship at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary/Harvard Medical School and was a postdoctoral fellow at Children’s Hospital Boston/Harvard Medical School in the laboratory of Pat D’Amore.
LAURA CIBULSKY
Vice President, Quality Assurance
Laura Cibulsky is Vice President, Quality Assurance at Gyroscope. Laura has more than 20 years’ experience in building high performing teams and quality systems within the medical device and pharmaceutical industries. Prior to joining Gyroscope Laura worked for Alcon, a division of Novartis for six years where she was responsible for the quality organization covering two surgical instrument manufacturing locations. Earlier in her career Laura worked for Tray-Pak Corporation, Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer and Warner Lambert in a range of quality-focused roles with increasing seniority.
Laura has a Bachelor of Science (Chemical Engineering) from the Johns Hopkins University, Master of Business Administration from Eastern University and is RAC Certified (RAC) through the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society (RAPS).
JANE HUGHES, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Jane Hughes is Chief Scientific Officer at Gyroscope. Jane is a highly experienced and strategic scientific leader with over 20 years of experience in drug discovery, translational medicine and clinical science gained through the development of projects from therapeutic concept through to early stage clinical development.
Most recently Jane served as Senior Director of Integrated Drug Discovery at Charles River and also held positions of increasing responsibility at GlaxoSmithKline and MedImmune. Jane graduated from Keele University in 1998 with a PhD in Developmental Immunology.
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JEFFREY HEIER
Director of the Vitreoretinal Service and Director of Retina Research at Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston, Boston, USAA
Jeffrey S. Heier, MD, is Director of the Vitreoretinal Service and Director of Retina Research at Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston in Massachusetts. He received his medical degree from Boston University before completing a residency at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado, and a fellowship in Vitreoretinal at Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston/Tufts University School of Medicine. Between his internship and residency, Dr. Heier served as a physician in a combat support hospital in the Persian Gulf War, where he was awarded a Bronze Star Medal.
Dr. Heier is one of the leading retinal clinical researchers in the country for new treatments in exudative and nonexudative macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, venous occlusive disease, vitreoretinal surgical techniques and instrumentation, and diagnostic imaging of the retina. He lectures nationally and internationally on retinal research and the innovative approach to the treatment of retinal diseases. Dr. Heier is the President of the Retina Society, a member of the Executive Committee of the American Society of Retina Specialists, the Past President of the New England Ophthalmological Society, and a member of The Macula Society.
ANTHONY (TONY) ADAMIS
MEMBER OF THE BOARD
Anthony (Tony) Adamis joined the board of directors of Gyroscope Therapeutics in December 2021. Dr. Adamis is best known for co-discovering the central role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in ocular vascular disease, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy. He has guided the development of 20 medicines in global clinical trials involving more than 25,000 patients. These development programmes led to 24 approvals by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) across various indications.Dr. Adamis received his medical degree with honours from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He completed his ophthalmology residency at the University of Michigan and his fellowship at Harvard. In 2000, Dr. Adamis co-founded Eyetech Pharmaceuticals, which developed and obtained FDA approval for the first anti-VEGF medicine in ophthalmology. With the introduction of anti-VEGF drugs, the rates of legal blindness from neovascular AMD and diabetic eye disease have decreased by half globally. Dr. Adamis is also on the board of directors of RD Funds, the venture arm of the Foundation Fighting Blindness.
CLAIRE HARRIS
Professor of Molecular Immunology, Newcastle University, UK
Claire Harris is Professor of Molecular Immunology at Newcastle University. She has been studying complement for more than 30 years with experience in both academia and Pharma. She has a keen interest in structure-function relationships in complement activators and regulators with a particular focus in the mechanisms underlying complement dysregulation and disease. With collaborators in Madrid, she was the first to characterise ‘gain-of-function’ mutations in the complement activating proteins, C3 and factor B, explaining their association with renal disease. Subsequent dissection of functional consequences of common AMD-linked polymorphisms led to the concept of the ‘complotype’ -the influence of complement genetic makeup on inflammation & infection. She is currently based at Newcastle University and the National Renal Complement Therapeutics Centre (NRCTC, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle). Her research is focussed on disease mechanisms, complement therapeutics (target validation, indication validation, drug discovery) and complement biomarkers (diagnosis, stratification).
ROBERT MACLAREN
Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford, Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Oxford Eye Hospital, Honorary Professor of Ophthalmology at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Honorary Consultant Vitreoretinal Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital and an NIHR Senior Investigator
Robert MacLaren is Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford, Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Oxford Eye Hospital, Honorary Professor of Ophthalmology at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Honorary Consultant Vitreoretinal Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital and an NIHR Senior Investigator. He is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, Fellow and former King James IV Professor of Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, Bodley Fellow of Merton College Oxford and Civilian Consultant Advisor to the Royal Navy. He has been a recipient of the ARVO Camras Award for Translational Research, the RP Fighting Blindness Scientist of the Year Award, the American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists Keeler Medal and the Macular Society Clinical Service of the Year award.
Together with the University of Oxford in 2014, he co-founded Nightstar Therapeutics in order to expand retinal gene therapy towards worldwide approval for patients with retinal diseases. After listing on NASDAQ in 2017, Nightstar Therapeutics was acquired by Biogen in 2019, making it one of the most successful British biotechnology company buyouts of all time.
ROBERT MACLAREN
Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford, Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Oxford Eye Hospital, Honorary Professor of Ophthalmology at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Honorary Consultant Vitreoretinal Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital and an NIHR Senior Investigator
Robert MacLaren is Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford, Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Oxford Eye Hospital, Honorary Professor of Ophthalmology at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Honorary Consultant Vitreoretinal Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital and an NIHR Senior Investigator. He is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, Fellow and former King James IV Professor of Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, Bodley Fellow of Merton College Oxford and Civilian Consultant Advisor to the Royal Navy. He has been a recipient of the ARVO Camras Award for Translational Research, the RP Fighting Blindness Scientist of the Year Award, the American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists Keeler Medal and the Macular Society Clinical Service of the Year award.
Together with the University of Oxford in 2014, he co-founded Nightstar Therapeutics in order to expand retinal gene therapy towards worldwide approval for patients with retinal diseases. After listing on NASDAQ in 2017, Nightstar Therapeutics was acquired by Biogen in 2019, making it one of the most successful British biotechnology company buyouts of all time.
DAVID KAVANAGH
Professor of Complement Therapeutics at the National Renal Complement Therapeutics Centre (NRCTC, UK)
David Kavanagh is the Professor of Complement Therapeutics at the National Renal Complement Therapeutics Centre (NRCTC). The NRCTC is a combined clinical, diagnostic and treatment centre for the complement mediated diseases: atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS) and C3 glomerulopathy. His University research group has been at the forefront of defining the role of complement in renal disease and is fully integrated with the NRCTC to provide rapid translational benefits to patients.
David moved to Newcastle to start his own lab in 2008 with a Wellcome Trust Fellowship following a Kidney Research UK Fellowship at the University of Edinburgh. He was previously a Fellow at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis. He graduated in Medicine and Immunology from the University of Glasgow in 1998 and obtained his PhD from Newcastle University in 2006. For his work defining the role of complement in aHUS, he was awarded the Renal Association’s Young Investigator (Raine) award. Additionally, he runs a glomerulonephritis and vasculitis clinic at Freeman hospital. He is chairman of the aHUS rare disease working group, an executive committee member of Complement UK.
ANDREW LOTERY
Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
Andrew J. Lotery, MD, FRCOphth, is Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom. He received his medical degree from Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland and completed a fellowship in Medical Retina and Molecular Ophthalmology at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.
Dr. Lotery is a Fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and received their Nettleship Award, which recognizes the best research published by an ophthalmologist in the United Kingdom in the past 3 years. He listed in The Times as one of the United Kingdom’s top 100 doctors, and he has been recognized for his research by the University Hospital Southampton Innovation and Researcher of the Year awards and a Macular Society award.
Dr. Lotery was editor in chief of the scientific journal Eye for 10 years and is currently Chair of the Scientific Committee of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists. He and his team have performed more than 75 clinical trials and published more than 260 papers in high impact journals, includingNature Genetics, Nature Communications, The Lancet, and The New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Lotery has served two times as a National Institute for Health Research Senior Investigator and raised grant funding totalling more than £15 million. He currently leads a Wellcome Trust Collaborative award, assessing the role of artificial intelligence in understanding the etiology of age-related macular degeneration. Dr. Lotery’s research interests include identifying genetic determinants of eye disease, studying defined mutations in patient-derived iPS cells, and new therapeutic approaches, such as gene therapy and retinal cell transplantation.
DAVID STEEL
Consultant Ophthalmologist, Sunderland Eye Infirmary, UK and Honorary Professor of Retinal Surgery at Newcastle University in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Professor David Steel, MBBS, MD, FRCOphth, is Consultant Ophthalmologist at Sunderland Eye Infirmary in the United Kingdom and Honorary Professor of Retinal Surgery at Newcastle University in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. He leads the surgical retinal service at Sunderland Eye Infirmary and set up and directs the institution’s clinical trials unit with over 20 active trials.
Dr. Steel’s research interests include many aspects of retinal disease, and he is a principal investigator at Newcastle University. He has published approximately 180 peer-reviewed publications with more than 6000 citations.
Dr. Steel is Associate Editor for The Royal College of Ophthalmologists’ Eye journal and is on the editorial board of Graefe’s Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology and the Journal of Vitreoretinal Diseases. He is an elected member of the Club Jules Gonin and has been an invited guest speaker at several national and international retinal societies.
DAVID STEEL
Consultant Ophthalmologist, Sunderland Eye Infirmary, UK and Honorary Professor of Retinal Surgery at Newcastle University in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Professor David Steel, MBBS, MD, FRCOphth, is Consultant Ophthalmologist at Sunderland Eye Infirmary in the United Kingdom and Honorary Professor of Retinal Surgery at Newcastle University in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. He leads the surgical retinal service at Sunderland Eye Infirmary and set up and directs the institution’s clinical trials unit with over 20 active trials.
Dr. Steel’s research interests include many aspects of retinal disease, and he is a principal investigator at Newcastle University. He has published approximately 180 peer-reviewed publications with more than 6000 citations.
Dr. Steel is Associate Editor for The Royal College of Ophthalmologists’ Eye journal and is on the editorial board of Graefe’s Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology and the Journal of Vitreoretinal Diseases. He is an elected member of the Club Jules Gonin and has been an invited guest speaker at several national and international retinal societies.
PETE COFFEY
Theme Lead of Development, Ageing and Disease at University College London’s Institute of Ophthalmology, UK and Co-Director at the UC Santa Barbara Neuroscience Research Institute’s facility for Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Professor Pete Coffey, DPhil, is Theme Lead of Development, Ageing and Disease at University College London’s Institute of Ophthalmology and the Co-Director at UC Santa Barbara for Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. He is the principal author and co-author of two landmark papers demonstrating the use of human cells to halt visual deterioration in models of age-related macular degeneration. His achievements include the launch of the London Project to Cure Blindness, which aims to develop a therapy for the majority of all types of age-related macular degeneration, seminal work on retinal transplantation (as described by Debrossy & Dunnett, Nature Neuroscience 2001). Prof. Coffey has received many honors and awards, including the prestigious Estelle Doheny Living Tribute Award in 2009, Retinitis Pigmentosa International’s Vision Award in 2009, the CIRM Leadership Award in 2010, and the NYSCF Robertson Prize in 2011. Finally, in 2018, the results of two patients were presented which demonstrated that regenerative medicine is feasible and resulted in the sustained recovery of reading in blind patients with sudden severe vision loss from Macular Degeneration.
JEAN BENNETT
Director of the Center for Advanced Retinal and Ocular Therapeutics and Professor Emeritus of Ophthalmology, University of Pennsylvania
Jean Bennett, M.D., Ph.D., is Director at the Center for Advanced Retinal and Ocular Therapeutics (CAROT) and Professor Emerita of Ophthalmology for Cell and Developmental Biology at University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.
Dr. Bennett is a world-renowned researcher who has contributed to many “firsts” in the development of gene therapies for use in ophthalmology. As a scientific founder of Spark Therapeutics, Dr. Bennett supported the development of the first ever FDA-approved gene therapy, approved for a rare genetic disease of the eye. The teams she led at CAROT and Spark Therapeutics collaborated to translate the use of gene therapy for the reversal of congenital blindness from animal models through to demonstration of safety and efficacy in children and adults. Her team was also the first to enroll pediatric patients into a study for gene therapy for a severe but non-life-threatening disease.
At CAROT, Dr. Bennett continues to develop and advance gene-based therapies for other retinal degenerative diseases and works to address limitations of current gene therapy technologies. She serves as a mentor for scientists and physicians at all career stages, participates on a number of advisory panels, and is an active member of non-profit patient-oriented foundations.
Dr. Bennett joined the faculty at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1992 where she held the F.M. Kirby Chair in Ophthalmology at the Scheie Eye Institute.
KHUREM FAROOQ
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Khurem Farooq is Chief Executive Officer at Gyroscope. Khurem brings more than 20 years of experience in drug development and operational leadership to the role. Previously, Khurem served as the Senior Vice President of the Immunology and Ophthalmology business unit at Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.
During Khurem’s eleven-year tenure at Genentech, he led the commercialization and launch planning of a number of medicines in the Immunology and Ophthalmology area and helped move a number of medicines into the pipeline as a member of the Late Stage Portfolio Committee. He was also actively involved in a number of business development assessments for the organization.
Khurem began his career at Aventis in the United Kingdom holding various roles in sales and marketing, including leading several pan-European business initiatives at the European Headquarters in Paris. Khurem holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration as well as an Honours degree in Biological Sciences.
CHARLES WYKOFF
Director of Research at Retina Consultants of Houston; Deputy Chair for Ophthalmology at Blanton Eye Institute and Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology Weill Cornell Medical College at Houston Methodist Hospital, USA
Charles C. Wykoff, MD, PhD, is a retina surgeon and ophthalmologist at Retina Consultants of Houston in Texas, where he also serves as Director of Research. He received his PhD from the University of Oxford in England and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, before completing a residency in Ophthalmology and a fellowship in Vitreoretinal at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, Florida. Dr. Wykoff is board-certified in Ophthalmology.
Dr. Wykoff coauthored the book Fighting Global Blindness. He has extensive expertise in clinical trial design and coordination, as well as translational research, publishing more than 170 peer reviewed scientific articles. Dr. Wykoff’s research interests pertain to angiogenesis and retinal vascular diseases, including age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and venous occlusive diseases, as well as vitreoretinal surgical topics such as retinal tears, retinal detachments, and macular surgery for macular holes and macular puckers. He is an elected member of the Retina Society and The Macula Society, and he serves as a founding member of the Ophthalmology Retina editorial board. Dr. Wykoff holds leadership positions in many scholarly societies, including actively serving as the Academic Program Director for the Vit-Buckle Society, for which he is the President Elect.
INGRID BOYES
CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER
Ingrid Boyes is Chief People Officer at Gyroscope. Ingrid has more than 25 years of human resources experience in the biopharma industry, driving effective organizational structure, and creating and implementing growth strategies. Most recently, she was the Chief Human Resources Officer at MyoKardia, Inc. During her six years at MyoKardia, she led the organizational transformation of the company from a private research startup, to a publicly traded company, through to its acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb in late 2020.
Previously, Ingrid spent 15 years at Genentech/Roche where she held various roles of increasing responsibility, most recently as Vice President and Global Head of Human Resources responsible for leading the human resources strategy globally for Roche’s Pharma Product Development organization. Previously, she led staffing and diversity initiatives during Genentech’s largest period of headcount growth, and led the human resources teams supporting the company’s manufacturing and commercial groups. Ingrid holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of San Francisco and an MBA from Notre Dame de Namur University.
CHRIS HOLLOWOOD
CHAIR OF THE BOARD
Chris is the Chief Investment Officer and a Managing Partner of Syncona Investment Management Ltd. Chris is a member of the boards of three Syncona Portfolio companies, NightstaRx Limited, Freeline Therapeutics Limited and Gyroscope Therapeutics Limited.
Previously, he was a partner of Apposite Capital LLP, a venture and growth capital company focused on the healthcare and life science sector. During his time at Apposite, he was involved in a number of investments, which included Ambit Biosciences (acquired by Daiichi Sankyo), Convergence Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Biogen-Idec), Birdrock and the acquisition of a portfolio of nine US healthcare companies which included Zonare Medical Systems (acquired by Mindray) and Ulthera (acquired by Merz).
Before Apposite, Chris had roles with Bioscience Managers Ltd, Neptune Investment Management Ltd and as a medicinal chemist in the pharmaceutical industry. Chris holds a degree in Natural Sciences and a PhD in Organic Chemistry, both from Cambridge University.
MAHA KATABI
MEMBER OF THE BOARD
Maha Katabi is an experienced investor with over two decades in managing public and private biotech companies through bull and bear markets. She is focused on investing in development stage biopharmaceuticals and is currently a member of the board of directors of Aerovate, Amplyx, Gyroscope, Northsea, Quanta and Vera.
Prior to joining Sofinnova in 2019, Maha co-invested with our team in multiple companies: Apellis Pharmaceuticals (APLS), Ascendis Pharma (ASND), and Trius Therapeutics (TSRX-acquired by Cubist). She was a partner and portfolio manager at Sectoral where she formed and led a dedicated investment team and advisory board to drive investments in private companies and was a Portfolio Manager for a family of funds invested in small cap healthcare companies. She led the firm’s investments in 12 private biotech companies, 2 of which were acquired and 8 of which went public, with 5 trading at valuations greater than $1B.
Prior to Sectoral, Maha was Vice-President at Ventures West Management since 2004, a venture capital firm focusing on technology and life sciences investments in North America. She started her venture capital career in 1999 at T2C2 Capital Bio, a seed fund focused on university start-ups.
Maha received her BSc In Biology and PhD in Pharmacology from McGill University, where she was a Cancer Research Society fellow, and is a CFA charterholder since 2011. She currently serves as Chair of the board of Exactis Innovation, a not-for profit oncology precision medicine network and has served on the Canadian Task Force for COVID-19 Therapeutics until February 2021.
WOUTER JOUSTRA
MEMBER OF THE BOARD
Wouter Joustra is a General Partner at Forbion and joined the company in 2019 to co-launch Forbion’s Growth Opportunities Fund. Previously, Wouter was a Senior Trader Life Sciences at Kempen, one of the leading investment banks focused on life sciences. In this role, Wouter ran Kempen’s trading portfolio, was involved in deal structuring, corporate finance and equity capital market transactions. Wouter served as an Executive Board member of Kempen’s Life Sciences Franchise. As part of his portfolio at Forbion, Wouter currently serves as a board observer at NewAmsterdam Pharma.
DOUGLAS FEARON
Emeritus Sheila Joan Smith Professor of Immunology, University of Cambridge, Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, Professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Douglas Thomas Fearon FRS FRCP FMedSci is an American medical immunologist and a member of the US National Academy of Sciences. He is Emeritus Sheila Joan Smith Professor of Immunology at the University of Cambridge, a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and a professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. In the past, the Fearon lab has made contributions to our understanding of the complement system, B cell signal transduction, memory T cells, and, since 2010, cancer immunology. His work in complement focused on the major role that factor H (CFH) has in regulating the activation of the alternative complement pathway, and how soluble complement receptor 1 (sCR1) inhibits both the classical and alternative pathways to suppress myocardial reperfusion injury.
JESSICA STITT
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Jessica Stitt is Chief Financial Officer at Gyroscope. Jessica brings more than two decades of healthcare finance and leadership experience and has participated in the execution of nearly $1.5 billion in corporate financing transactions over the course of her career. Most recently, she served as the Vice President of Finance and Operations for MyoKardia, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing targeted therapies for the treatment of serious cardiovascular diseases, which was acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb in November 2020. Prior to MyoKardia, Jessica served as Vice President of Finance and Investor Relations for Theravance Biopharma, Inc. She joined Theravance Biopharma in June 2014 in connection with the company’s spin-off from Theravance, Inc. (now Innoviva, Inc.). In her combined nine-year tenure with Theravance, Jessica held positions of increasing responsibility in finance and investor relations. She also previously held roles at Nektar Therapeutics, Alkermes and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Jessica holds an MBA from Simmons School of Management and a B.A. from Saint Anselm College.
ALLEN HO
Professor of Ophthalmology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University Attending Surgeon, Director of Retina Research, Wills Eye Hospital Philadelphia, USA
Allen C. Ho, MD, is Professor of Ophthalmology at Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and Attending Surgeon and Director of Retina Research at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He received his medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, New York, before completing a residency in Ophthalmology at Wills Eye Hospital and a fellowship in Vitreoretinal Diseases at the Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital in New York, New York. Dr. Ho is board-certified in Ophthalmology.
Dr. Ho is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and an internationally recognized retina specialist specializing in state of art patient care. He is a leader in the development of new medical and surgical treatments for retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration, macular diseases, diabetic retinopathy, and surgical retinal diseases. Dr. Ho is an active member and leader in several societies, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology, The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the American Society of Retina Specialists, and The Macula Society, and he is President of The Retina Society. He has authored more than 200 scientific publications and is Editor-in-Chief of Current Opinion in Ophthalmology and Chief Medical Editor of Retina Today. Dr. Ho is an invited lecturer at national and international ophthalmic meetings and has authored several books.
RENÉE GALÁ
MEMBER OF THE BOARD
Renée Galá joined the board of directors of Gyroscope Therapeutics in November 2020. She is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of global biopharmaceutical company Jazz Pharmaceuticals, and is a member of the board of directors at Gossamer Bio where she chairs its audit committee. Prior to joining Jazz, she was the Chief Financial Officer of GRAIL, a healthcare company focused on the early detection of cancer. Previously Renée was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Theravance Biopharma, where she led the company’s spin-out transaction from Innoviva, Inc. She has also served in global treasury, pharmaceutical sales and corporate strategy/business development at Eli Lilly and Company. Prior to joining Eli Lilly, she spent seven years in the energy industry in positions focused on corporate finance, project finance, and mergers and acquisitions. Renée holds a Bachelor’s in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Columbia Business School.
DAVID FELLOWS
MEMBER OF THE BOARD
David Fellows joined the board of directors of Gyroscope Therapeutics in December 2020. He also serves as the chairman of the board for Oxular Limited and is a board member of the Glaucoma Foundation. David was most recently the Chief Executive Officer of Nightstar Therapeutics, a retinal gene therapy company acquired by Biogen in 2019. Prior to joining Nightstar Therapeutics, he was the Vice President of Johnson & Johnson’s Vision Care Franchise where he led the global marketing, new product and licensing activities. Before joining Johnson & Johnson, David held leadership positions at Allergan, Inc., for 25 years where he served primarily in the sales and marketing areas in a number of capacities, including Regional President, Corporate Vice President, and Senior Vice President across North America, Europe and Asia. David holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Butler University.
JENNIFER COOK
MEMBER OF THE BOARD
Jennifer Cook joined the board of directors of Gyroscope Therapeutics in November 2020. She also serves on the boards of directors of Denali Therapeutics, BridgeBio Pharma and Ambys Medicines. Most recently, Jennifer was the Chief Executive Officer of GRAIL, a healthcare company focused on the early detection of cancer. Prior to joining GRAIL, she held a number of leadership positions during her 25-year tenure with Roche/Genentech, including leading Roche Pharmaceuticals’ European commercial business, Global Clinical Operations, U.S. and Global Product Portfolio Management, the U.S. Immunology and Ophthalmology Business Unit and Market Development. Jennifer holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Biology and a Master’s Degree in Biology from Stanford University, as well as a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
IAN CLARK
MEMBER OF THE BOARD
Ian Clark joined the board of directors of Gyroscope Therapeutics in 2019. Ian has more than 34 years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, most recently serving as CEO and member of the board of directors for Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, until his retirement in 2016. During his seven-year tenure as CEO, Ian and his team brought eleven new medicines to market for patients fighting rheumatoid arthritis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and various types of cancer. Ian was among the highest rated CEOs by Glassdoor, recognized as the Bay Area’s most admired CEO by the San Francisco Business Times and awarded the Honorable Mentor of the Year by the Healthcare Business Women’s Association.
Prior to joining Genentech, Ian held various positions of increasing responsibility at Novartis, Sanofi, Ivax and Searle, working in the USA, UK, Canada, Eastern Europe and France.
Currently, Ian is on the board of directors for Takeda, Agios Pharmaceuticals, Guardant Health, Forty Seven, Avrobio and Corvus Pharmaceuticals. He is an Operating Partner of Blackstone Life Sciences. He is also on the BioFulcrum Board of the Gladsone Institute. Ian previously served on the board of directors of Shire, Kite Pharma, Dendreon, Solazyme and Vernalis. He was also on the Biotechnology Industry Association board of directors and on the Economic Advisory Council of the 12th District of the Federal Reserve.
Ian received his bachelor of science in Biological Sciences and an Honorary Doctorate of Science from Southampton University in the United Kingdom.
SEAN BOHEN, MD, PhD
MEMBER OF THE BOARD
Dr. Bohen joined the board of directors of Gyroscope Therapeutics in September 2020. Dr. Bohen is President and Chief Executive Officer of Olema Oncology, Inc and is also on the board of directors at Altrubio, Inc. Previously, he was the Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President, Global Medicines Development, AstraZeneca LP, where he was responsible for AstraZeneca’s worldwide product development and clinical programmes. Prior to joining AstraZeneca, he was Senior Vice President of Genentech Early Development (gRED), where he led preclinical and clinical development programmes to deliver pivotal trial-ready drug candidates to Genentech’s late-stage development pipeline. During this time, he also served as a clinical instructor at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He received both his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco, and has been board certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology.
KHUREM FAROOQ
MEMBER OF THE BOARD
Khurem became Chief Executive Officer in 2019, bringing more than 20 years of experience in drug development and operational leadership to Gyroscope. He previously served as the Senior Vice President of the Immunology and Ophthalmology business unit at Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.
During his eleven-year tenure at Genentech, Khurem led the commercialization and launch planning of a number of medicines in the Immunology and Ophthalmology area and helped move a number of medicines into the pipeline as a member of the Late Stage Portfolio Committee. He also was actively involved in a number of business development assessments for the organization.
Khurem began his career at Aventis in the United Kingdom holding various roles in sales and marketing, including leading several pan-European business initiatives at the European Headquarters in Paris.
Khurem holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration as well as an Honors degree in Biological Sciences.
EDWARD LANG JR
CHIEF BUSINESS OFFICER
Edward Lang is Chief Business Officer at Gyroscope. Ed has almost 20 years of corporate strategy and public affairs experience in the biotechnology industry. Over the course of his career, he has supported the approval of more than 15 medicines in the fields of oncology, ophthalmology, immunology and rare disease. He has also served as a senior leader driving strategic decision-making across product portfolios, as well as the primary spokesperson for both large and small biotech companies.
ELAINE JOHNSTON
GENERAL COUNSEL
Elaine Johnston is General Counsel at Gyroscope. Elaine has nearly 20 years of legal experience including in drug and medical devices research, development, manufacturing, commercialization, healthcare compliance, IP licensing, corporate governance and mergers & acquisitions (and associated integration activities).
Elaine most recently served as the Head of Legal at BTG plc, which was a FTSE 250 healthcare company focused on interventional medicine and specialty pharmaceuticals that was acquired by Boston Scientific in 2019. Elaine led the global legal team with legal operations in Europe, the USA and Asia.
Prior to BTG, Elaine was a legal consultant at Abbott Laboratories primarily supporting the Abbott Medical Optics and Abbott Nutrition businesses in Europe. Previously, she was a legal consultant at BioMarin supporting legal operations in the UK and Ireland. Elaine trained and qualified as a solicitor at Mayer Brown in London. She graduated from Queen’s University Belfast in 1997 with a LL.B (Hons) Degree in Law and completed her Legal Practice Course at the College of Law, Chester in 2000.
HENDRIK SCHOLL
Founder and Director of the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel, Switzerland, and Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Basel, Switzerland
Hendrik P.N. Scholl, M.D., is Founder and Director of the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel in Switzerland together with Botond Roska, M.D. He is also Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Basel. Dr. Scholl received his medical degree from the University of Tübingen in Germany before completing a residency in Ophthalmology at the University Eye Hospital in Tübingen and a clinical research fellowship in Medical Retinal Disease at Moorfields Eye Hospital and the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology in London, United Kingdom. From 2010 until 2006, he was Professor of Ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, where he headed the Retinal Degeneration Clinic and the Visual Neurophysiology Service of the Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Dr Scholl has received numerous awards including the European Vision Award in 2008, the Wynn-Gund Translational Research Award by the Foundation Fighting Blindness, the Macular Degeneration Research Award by the American Health Assistance Foundation in 2010, the Visionary Award from the Foundation Fighting Blindness, the ARVO Foundation/Pfizer Ophthalmics Carl Camras Translational Research Award in 2014, the President’s Award from the American Society of Retina Specialists in 2015, the Research Award Retina 2017 of the German Ophthalmic Surgeons, the Alfred Vogt Award in 2019, and the Paul Henkind Award & Lecture of the Macula Society in 2020.
Dr Scholl specializes in therapy of retinal diseases and in research on retinal neurodegeneration. Dr. Scholl has authored more than 200 articles and reviews in peer-reviewed journals.
ARSHAD KHANANI
Managing Partner, Director of Clinical Research, Director of Fellowship, Sierra Eye Associates Clinical Associate Professor, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine Reno, USA
Arshad M. Khanani, MD, MA, is Managing Partner, Director of Clinical Research, and Director of Fellowship at Sierra Eye Associates and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. He is a fellowship-trained vitreoretinal specialist and is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. As an undergraduate, Dr. Khanani was honored twice with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Award. During his medical training, he received several research awards and designed multiple prospective clinical trials, which led to publications in major ophthalmology journals.
Due to his strong interest in clinical research, Dr. Khanani founded the clinical research section at Sierra Eye Associates. He has been a principal investigator for more than 50 clinical trials and has been a top enroller in the country for multiple Phase 1-3 trials. Dr. Khanani also serves as a member of clinical trial steering committees and scientific advisory boards for multiple companies. His articles have been published in top ophthalmology journals. Dr. Khanani has also presented his work at major ophthalmology meetings worldwide and has been invited multiple times as a guest speaker nationally and internationally.
Dr. Khanani has received numerous awards of distinction. He has received the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also received the Honor Award and the Senior Honor Award from the American Society of Retina Specialists for his contributions. Dr. Khanani has also been consistently named one of America’s Top Ophthalmologists and has also been included in The Leading Physicians of the World publication. In 2019, he received the Nevada Business Magazine Healthcare Heroes Physician of the Year award for his continued dedication to the field of ophthalmology.
TIMOTHY STOUT
Sid W. Richardson Professor and Margarett Root Brown Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, and Director of the Cullen Eye Institute at Baylor College of Medicine, USA
Dr. Tim Stout received his undergraduate degree from Rice University in Houston, and his medical degree and doctorate in molecular genetics from Baylor College of Medicine, where he also completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Human Genetics. He completed his Ophthalmology residency at the Doheny Eye Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, a medical retina fellowship at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London and a surgical retinal fellowship at the Doheny Eye Institute. Dr. Stout earned his MBA at the University of Oregon.
Dr. Stout has been the Sid W. Richardson Professor and Margarett Root Brown Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, and Director of the Cullen Eye Institute at Baylor College of Medicine since 2013. Prior to that he served as Professor in the Departments of Ophthalmology and Molecular Genetics, as well as Vice President for Commercialization Strategies at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon. He has directed the Clayton Gene Therapy Laboratories since 1995.
MATTHEW PICKERING
Professor of Rheumatology at Imperial College London, Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow in Clinical Science
Professor Pickering is an established international expert on the complement system and its role in health and disease. His research program has been funded without interruption by the Wellcome Trust since 2003. He is a Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow in Clinical Science (funded to 2023).
His clinical expertise includes systemic lupus erythematous and complement deficiency states. He is a Professor of Rheumatology and Director of the Centre for Inflammatory Disease at Imperial College London. He is an Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and the Academic Director of the Imperial Lupus Centre. He was Head of Clinical Rheumatology from 01/April/2014 to 30/April/2019.
His research has achieved international recognition for elucidating the relationship between uncontrolled complement activation and renal disease. He has achieved this through a sustained research program that has utilized genetic characterization of families with complement-mediated renal disease, the in vitro studies of complement regulatory proteins and the generation of unique murine models of complement-mediated kidney disease.
His key research achievements include (1) the demonstration that complement C5 is critical in the development of atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome; (2) the demonstration that specific activation fragments of the central complement protein (C3) are important in complement-mediated renal injury; (3) the characterisation of a new kidney disease, CFHR5 nephropathy that is endemic in Cyprus; (4) the identification of C3 glomerulopathy as a new group of kidney diseases in which the underlying defect is impaired regulation of complement. In addition to CFHR5 nephropathy his team has characterized the genetic basis of a further three types of familial C3 glomerulopathy; (5) the implementation of C3 glomerulopathy as a new disease classification within the international renal pathology and nephrology community culminating with the organization of the first international meeting on this group of conditions and the publication of the first international consensus document; (6) in collaboration with Prof. Susan Lea, the unravelling of the mechanistic basis underlying FHR-associated C3 glomerulopathy.
Prof. Pickering is regularly invited to international (e.g. American Society of Nephrology Annual Meetings) and European (e.g. European League against Rheumatism Meetings) meetings to present research findings to the international scientific and clinical community. He is a member of European Complement Network and International Complement Society.
Prof. Pickering is an enthusiastic teacher. He has authored numerous educational publications on complement and complement-mediated kidney disease and regularly contributes to patient-family events in the complement community.
ALBERTO AURICCHIO
Professor of Medical Genetics at the Department of Advanced Biomedicine, “Federico II” University in Naples, and Coordinator of the Molecular Therapy Program at Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM) in Pozzuoli (NA), Italy
Alberto Auricchio, MD is Professor of Medical Genetics at the Department of Advanced Biomedicine, “Federico II” University in Naples, and Coordinator of the Molecular Therapy Program at Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM) in Pozzuoli (NA), Italy.
His research is focused on gene therapy of retinal and metabolic diseases using adeno-associated viral vectors. His group has contributed to the phase I/II clinical trial of Luxturna, the first approved gene therapy drug for an ocular disease, and to the development of gene therapy for mucopolysaccharidosis VI up to an ongoing phase I/II trial.
Prof. Auricchio is co-author of more than 135 peer-reviewed publications on international scientific journals and inventor of several international patents on the use of viral vectors for gene therapy. He is a member of the editorial boards of various journals and of the European Society of Cell and Gene Therapy Scientific Board.
In 2006 Prof. Auricchio has received the Outstanding New Investigator Award of the American Society of Gene Therapy and in 2007 has been nominated Cavaliere of the Italian Republic by the President of the Italian Republic. In 2011 and 2016 Prof. Auricchio has received the Consolidator and Advanced Grants, respectively, from the European Research Council. In 2019 Prof, Auricchio received the International Prize for Scientific Research “Arrigo Recordati”.
BERNHARD WEBER
Head of Institute of Human Genetics, University of Regensburg and Head of Institute of Clinical Human Genetics, University Hospital Regensburg. Director of the Diagnostics Unit for DNA Testing and Vice President of Research of the University of Regensburg, Germany
Professor Bernhard H.F. Weber, PhD, is Head of the Institute of Human Genetics, and Vice President of Research at the University of Regensburg, Germany. He received his PhD at the Institute of Human Genetics at the University of Freiburg in Germany.
Dr. Weber established a comprehensive research program on the hereditary retinal degenerations and the genetically complex age-related macular degeneration. He is interested in understanding underlying monogenic and complex disease pathologies. Dr. Weber’s work has a strong focus on translational aspects to explore concepts of innovative therapeutic intervention in retinal disease. He has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications. His DNA diagnostics unit offers single gene analysis, gene panel testing, and exome sequencing, with the latter two technologies specifically addressing the striking genetic heterogeneity in retinal diseases.
KEITH PETERS
Senior Consultant to The Francis Crick Institute in London and Regius Professor of Physic Emeritus at the University of Cambridge
Dr Peters received his medical degree from the Welsh National School of Medicine in Cardiff, United Kingdom. Dr. Peters was knighted in the 1993 New Year’s Honours List, and he is a Fellow of The Royal Society of London and a Founding Fellow and later President of the Academy of Medical Sciences. His research interests centre on the immunology of renal and vascular disease, particularly how delineation of immunological mechanisms can lead to new therapies for these disorders. Sir Keith has extensive industrial experience, having served on the Medical Advisory Board of Merck Research Laboratories and chaired the Scientific Advisory Board of Amersham. From 2005-2016 he served as Senior Consultant to GlaxoSmithKline, reporting directly to the President of Research and Development.
