Avectas announces the appointment of Dr. Ann Brady as Chief Business Officer

DUBLIN, Ireland and Cambridge MA, USA, 1^st February 2023: Avectas, a cell engineering technology business, announces the appointment of Dr. Ann Brady as Chief Business Officer (CBO) following the successful launch of its Solupore^® Platform for the manufacture of Next-Generation Gene-Modified Cell Therapies with Superior Cell Health and Functionality.

Dr. Brady has been a member of Avectas’ Board of Directors since 2016. She will continue to serve on the Board as an executive Director whilst taking on the full-time CBO role from the 1^st February, 2023.

Dr. Brady has 30 years’ experience in the bio-pharma and drug delivery industries through global leadership roles in corporate strategy, business development, alliance management, and commercial operations gained in both developed and emerging markets.   Ann most recently served as President, Theravance Biopharma Ireland and previously held senior executive roles at Shire, plc and élan Corporation, plc. She holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Trinity College, Dublin, and is a Chartered Director (C. Dir.) and a member of the Institute of Directors.

Michael Maguire, Ph.D., CEO of Avectas, said: "Ann joins the Avectas executive team as CBO at a very exciting time, as we build on the successful launch of our Solupore^® platform at Advanced Therapy Week in Miami in January. We currently have several disclosed and undisclosed therapeutic and life sciences companies utilizing the technology under an early access program and we are now expanding our commercialization efforts post-launch. Ann has an impressive track record, over decades, of successfully commercializing drug delivery technology and therapeutic products, and will be instrumental in accelerating our growth’’.

On joining Avectas as CBO, Dr. Brady said ‘’I have closely followed the development of the Solupore^® platform over several years and am impressed by the extensive data package generated by the team and its partners. I believe the excellent cell health and functionality post-Solupore® engineering will result in improved next-generation cell therapy products. I look forward to working with the team and leading Avectas on its journey of commercialization’’.

Dr. Brady assumes the CBO role from Daniel Castro. Michael Maguire added: "I would like to thank Daniel for his important contribution to Avectas and wish him well in his future endeavors”. 

-ENDS-

About Avectas

Avectas is accelerating the future of cell therapy through an easy-to-integrate and flexible delivery platform that manufactures healthier and more functional cells for patients. The Avectas non-viral delivery platform excels at complex editing and challenging cargo delivery, ensuring the realization of the next generation of cell therapies. Our vision is to position the non-viral Solupore cell engineering technology to be integrated into manufacturing processes, including complex gene editing, for multiple autologous and allogeneic therapies and commercialized through development and license agreements. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.avectas.com.

About Solupore^®

The Solupore non-viral delivery system enables the clinical manufacture of advanced cell therapies differentiated by superior cell health and functionality. This novel system expands the possibilities for complex editing and challenging cargo delivery. Solupore technology works by temporarily permeabilizing the target cell membrane so that molecular cargoes such as mRNA, plasmids, RNP or CRISPR/Cas9 can be delivered while retaining superior cell health and function.

The Solupore^® system is now available for trialing at partner sites through the Avectas Business Development team, partnering@avectas.com.

Media contacts for Avectas:

Ireland

Ray Gordon, Gordon MRM

+353 87 2417373

ray@gordonmrm.ie