ASC appoints gene therapy pioneer, Dr. Mark A. Kay, Director of the Human Gene Therapy Program at Stanford University, to its Scientific Advisory Board. | ASC

12/19/17 MILPITAS, Calif.—Applied StemCell, a leading biotechnology company using gene editing technologies to advance innovations in biomedical research and therapeutics, today announced the appointment of leading geneticist and gene therapy pioneer, Dr. Mark A. Kay, MD, PHD., to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Dr. Kay is the Dennis Farrey Family Professor and the Associate Chair for Basic Research in the Department of Pediatrics, Professor of Genetics and the Head of the Division of Human Gene Therapy at the Stanford University’s School of Medicine. He is a leading expert in translational gene therapy and has served as the scientific advisor and sponsor-investigator for recombinant adeno-associated virus-based (rAAV) clinical trials in humans for Hemophilia B. His noteworthy contributions to the field of gene therapy also include development of viral (rAAV) and non-viral (minicircle) gene delivery systems as well as a novel gene editing approach for safe and effective targeted gene therapy; early success in rAAV-mediated treatment of hemophilia A and B, congenital blindness, and spinal muscular atrophy; and advancing RNAi and non-coding RNA biology for effective gene targeting strategies.

Dr. Kay has helped found gene therapy companies, Avocel, LogicBio, and Voyager Therapeutics, and serves on the SAB of companies that use adenoviral-based therapy for treatment and cure of genetic and infectious diseases.  He has organized several gene therapy related conferences worldwide, is a founding member of the American Society for Gene Therapy, and serves on the editorial board for prominent peer-reviewed publications.

“Dr. Kay’s deep understanding of human developmental genetics and gene therapy as well as his pioneering work in safe and effective gene delivery systems will be invaluable to advance Applied StemCell’s gene editing-based therapeutic pipeline for targeting monogenic disorders”, stated Dr. Ruby Yanru Chen-Tsai, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Applied StemCell.

Dr. Kay is a significant addition to Applied StemCell’s SAB members who are eminent scientists in the fields of gene editing, stem cell technologies, genetics and transgenic animal models. They include Dr. Michael Cleary, Dr. Michele Calos, Dr. Xianmin Zeng, Dr. Qilong Ying, and Dr. Hong Wu.

ASC’s Strategy and Pipeline:

ASC’s strategy is to utilize its core strengths to expand its IP portfolio and develop a strong therapeutic pipeline based on its patented gene editing technologies. The company’s expertise in utilizing genome editing for both animal and cell model generation, as well as its portfolio of improved genome editing technologies, make it uniquely poised to develop transformative solutions to pressing medical challenges.

About Applied StemCell:

Applied StemCell, Inc. is a leading stem cell and gene-editing company focused on the development of products and therapeutics that are enabled by its proprietary gene editing technologies. For more information, please visit www.appliedstemcell.com.

Contact:

Maki Ogawa

Marketing Director, Applied StemCell, Inc.

408-773-8007

maki.ogawa@appliedstemcell.com