INNOSKEL EXPANDS LEADERSHIP TEAM TO ACCELERATE DEVELOPMENT OF LEAD PROGRAM AND DRIVE PLATFORM INNOVATION
David Favre PhD Appointed Chief Scientific Officer and Samantha Parker Appointed Chief Patient Access Officer
Nice, France, 25 May 2021 – InnoSkel (the “Company”), a recently launched platform biotechnology company pioneering gene therapies for rare skeletal diseases, today announced the expansion of its leadership team with the appointments of David Favre, Ph.D., as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and Samantha Parker as Chief Patient Access Officer (CPAO). These new hires will play a key role in helping execute the Company’s development objectives and drive continued platform innovation. As CSO, David will oversee InnoSkel’s research and development strategy and operations as the Company advances its platform for rare skeletal disorders, with an initial focus on advancing its lead asset gene therapy for Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia congenita (SEDc) to clinical development. In her role as CPAO, Samantha will spearhead meaningful patient and scientific community engagement to ensure that the voices and priorities of patients and other stakeholders are reflected in all relevant aspects of research. She will also oversee the initial development of InnoSkel’s natural history study in type 2 collagenopathies.
Elvire Gouze, PhD, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of InnoSkel, commented: “I am delighted to welcome David and Samantha to the InnoSkel team. Their deep expertise and passion for advancing breakthrough therapies in their respective fields will be invaluable as we progress our lead gene therapy asset into the clinic. It is a pivotal and exciting time for the Company, and with today’s appointments, we are another step closer to achieving our ultimate goal of providing transformative treatments for patients with rare skeletal diseases.”
David Favre, CSO of InnoSkel, said: “InnoSkel is pioneering new ground in rare diseases and there is immense potential for our work to transform the treatment paradigm for these patients in need of effective treatment options. I am thrilled to be joining Elvire and the Innoskel team as we address the urgent, unmet need in skeletal disorders.”
David brings 25 years of experience in gene therapy, immuno-virology and drug development in academic, biotech and industry settings. He joins InnoSkel from Asklepios Biopharmaceutical (AskBio), where he served as Vice-President, Translational Medicine. There he led the platforms and program resources to marshal preclinical, INDs and early clinical programs, particularly focusing on the immunogenicity and adjunctive immunotherapy of AAV gene therapy and metabolic diseases. Prior to this, David was Director, HIV Biology, Drug Discovery For Immune Therapy And Cure at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) where he was responsible for building an immunotherapy and curative portfolio and modernizing the strategic pipeline. He has also served as Adjunct Associate Professor at the University North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and led the scientific innovation at ImmuneCarta-Caprion Biosciences, Montreal. David holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the Paris Diderot University and a DVM from the Veterinary School of Nantes.
Samantha Parker, CPAO of InnoSkel said, “I am honored to be joining InnoSkel at a very exciting time in its development. InnoSkel’s mission of addressing the unmet need of rare skeletal disorders, paired with its transformative gene therapy technology brings me great hope for delivering life-altering treatments to patients and positively impacting their families and caregivers.”
Samantha has a strong track record in patient advocacy and gene therapy development, with deep experience in the development of natural history studies, registries, novel patient centered outcomes, and early access planning as well as access to collaborative networks. She previously served as Chief Patient Access Officer at Lysogene, and prior to that, was Director of External Affairs and Rare Disease Partnerships at Orphan Europe. Samantha was a founding member of several pilot European Reference Networks - virtual networks of healthcare providers aiming to facilitate discussion on complex or rare diseases. Samantha is also active in several scientific and healthcare-related organizations including the International Rare Disease Research Consortium (IRDiRC). She earned an MBA in Life Sciences from Open University’s School of Business, an International Management Degree from ESSEC Business School, and a BA from the University of Edinburgh.
About InnoSkel
InnoSkel is a pioneering platform biotechnology company developing therapies for rare skeletal diseases. InnoSkel is developing treatment options for a group of rare skeletal disorders collectively known as type 2 collagenopathies, the most severe non-lethal of which is Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia congenita (SEDc), the second leading cause of short stature worldwide. InnoSkel’s lead gene therapy asset for SEDc has demonstrated good efficacy in pre-clinical proof-of-concept studies. The Company’s fundamental mission is to improve the lives of patients living with skeletal dysplasia and to answer their unmet needs, keeping their voices at the heart of all they do. InnoSkel is a spin-out of the Institut de Biologie Valrose at Inserm, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, and is based in Sophia Antipolis, Nice, France.
For more information, visit www.innoskel.com.
For more information please contact:
InnoSkel
Elvire Gouze, Founder and CEO
elvire.gouze@innoskel.com
Consilium Strategic Communications
Mary-Jane Elliott / Melissa Gardiner / Allison Connolly
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5700