– USA, CA – Adverum Biotechnologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADVM), a clinical-stage gene therapy company targeting unmet medical needs in ocular and rare diseases, today announced the appointment of Dr. Rabia Gurses Ozden (M.D.) and Soo Hong to its Board as Independent Directors.
“We are very pleased to have Rabia and Soo join Adverum’s Board. Dr. Ozden and Ms. Hong bring a tremendous depth of experience and add to the diverse perspectives on our board. We look forward to their input and insights as we advance ADVM-022 toward a Phase 2 trial with the aim of bringing wet age-related macular degeneration patients a new transformational treatment option with a single-dose, intravitreal injection,” stated Board Chair, Patrick Machado.
About Dr. Rabia Gurses Ozden
Dr. Ozden joins with two decades of experience in ophthalmology, clinical development, and operations, pharmacovigilance, regulatory affairs, and gene therapy.
Dr. Ozden currently serves as SVP of clinical development at Ocular Therapeutix, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the formulation, development, and commercialization of innovative therapies for diseases and conditions of the eye. Before joining Ocular Therapeutix, Dr. Ozden served as the chief development officer at Akouos, leveraging their adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy platform to advance precision therapies for forms of sensorineural hearing loss. Before joining Akouos, Dr. Ozden served as CMO at Nightstar Therapeutics, an ocular gene therapy company focused on AAV treatments for inherited retinal diseases, which was acquired by Biogen in 2019. Additionally, Dr. Ozden has held leadership positions at Applied Genetic Technologies and GlaxoSmithKline, while spending her early career in clinical development roles.
“I am thrilled to work with Adverum as they seek to reduce the wet AMD injection treatment paradigm to a single dose,” said Dr. Ozden. “Given my background in gene therapy clinical development, I am grateful to have the opportunity to support ADVM-022 development as a member of the Board of Directors. The data generated to date suggests this potential new treatment option could provide a meaningful benefit to patients, caregivers, healthcare providers and the healthcare system as a whole.”
Dr. Ozden earned her M.D. from Hacettepe University School of Medicine, completed her ophthalmology residency at Ankara University School of Medicine, and her clinical fellowship in Glaucoma at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.
About Soo J. Hong
Ms. Hong brings deep expertise in human capital management, executive and leadership development as well as executive and board compensation design and governance serving rapidly growing organizations during periods of transformation.
Ms. Hong currently serves as the chief people officer at Sunbit, a financial technology company. Before joining Sunbit, she served as the chief people officer at National Veterinary Associates. Ms. Hong has also led people and talent organizations at WeWork and Tinder throughout phases of transformative growth and organizational expansion. In addition to deep expertise in human capital management, Ms. Hong brings deep and varied experience in executive and leadership development, as well as executive and Board compensation design and governance. She has been recognized for her analytical, data-driven approach to human resources, being named one of Hot Topic’s Tech HR100, and she received the Tri-State National Diversity Council’s Most Influential Woman of the Year award for her efforts in supporting the diversity and leadership of women in the workplace.
“I am pleased to be a part of Adverum’s team as we begin the company’s important next phase of ADVM-022 clinical trials,” said Ms. Hong. “With my previous work guiding organizations through periods of growth, I look forward to advising Adverum as it continues its path towards later-stage development. This promising product candidate holds great potential to improve the lives of wet AMD patients and their caregivers, which is an exciting prospect for the entire Adverum organization.”
Ms. Hong earned her B.A. from Wellesley College and her M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
About Adverum Biotechnologies
Adverum Biotechnologies (Nasdaq: ADVM) is a clinical-stage gene therapy company targeting unmet medical needs in serious ocular and rare diseases. Adverum is evaluating its novel gene therapy candidate, ADVM-022, as a one-time, intravitreal injection for the treatment of patients with wet age-related macular degeneration.
For more information: https://adverum.com/
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