Kriya Appoints Scientific Co-Founder J. Fraser Wright, Ph.D., as Chief Gene Therapy Officer
– Dr. Wright has three decades of experience in the research and development of viral vectors and has been involved in the development of multiple approved gene therapies globally –
PALO ALTO, Calif., and RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC — July 8, 2024 — Kriya Therapeutics, Inc. (“Kriya”), a biopharmaceutical company developing gene therapies to address common diseases affecting millions of people around the world, today announced the appointment of J. Fraser Wright, Ph.D., to the position of Chief Gene Therapy Officer.
Dr. Wright is a Scientific Co-Founder of Kriya and has served as a senior advisor to the company since its founding in 2019. During his career he has contributed to numerous gene therapy development programs, including those leading to the regulatory approvals of multiple FDA approved commercial products: Luxturna® for RPE65-/- Leber congenital amarosis Type 2, the first gene therapy for a genetic disease; Kymriah®, the first CAR T‑cell therapy for lymphoma and leukemia indications; and Beqvez™ for the treatment of hemophilia B. Most recently, Dr. Wright was a Professor of Pediatrics at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Director of Technology Innovation at Stanford’s Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine. His research aimed to advance the design, characterization and production of AAV-based medicines for rare and common diseases, including addressing key immunological barriers to the successful translation of AAV gene therapies.
“Fraser has been instrumental in advancing the field of gene therapy, including through his contributions to the approval and commercialization of multiple gene therapy products globally,” said Shankar Ramaswamy, M.D., Co-Founder and CEO of Kriya. “Since helping to launch Kriya in 2019, Fraser has played a crucial role in accelerating our efforts by bringing his expertise in immunology, vector biology and CMC to the development of our gene therapy pipeline for common diseases. We are thrilled to have Fraser join our leadership team as Chief Gene Therapy Officer as we prepare to advance multiple gene therapies into the clinic for highly prevalent diseases.”
Dr. Wright added, “Over the past decades, the field of gene therapy has evolved from an exciting concept facing many clinical translational challenges, to the current landscape of multiple successful regulatory approvals and commercialization of products that provide definitive therapeutic benefit. I am privileged to have been deeply immersed in the gene therapy revolution, and I am optimistic about the future of gene therapy as a new paradigm of therapeutics across multiple fields of medicine. I am impressed that Kriya has built the critical infrastructure and expertise needed to be a fully integrated gene therapy company with collective dedication, innovation and pursuit of excellence to bring better medicines to patients in need. I look forward to the opportunity provided by this leadership role to help address serious healthcare challenges facing society today.”
Dr. Wright began his industry career as a Scientist at Sanofi Pasteur, contributing to the development of viral vector-based vaccines and cancer immunotherapies, and subsequently as Director of Development and Clinical Manufacturing at Avigen, a gene therapy company that pioneered AAV-based investigational gene therapies for hemophilia and Parkinson’s disease. After Avigen, Dr. Wright returned to academia where he established and directed the Clinical Vector Facility at the Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and gained a faculty appointment at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Dr. Wright is also a Co-Founder and the founding Chief Technology Officer of Spark Therapeutics. He is an author of over 100 peer reviewed publications and an inventor of many patents used widely in human gene therapy.
Dr. Wright received his Ph.D. (Biochemistry and Molecular Immunology) and B.Sc. (Biology and Physiology) from the University of Toronto, and completed post-doctoral studies at INSERM/CENG Grenoble, France.
About Kriya Therapeutics
Our mission is to revolutionize medicine, with the ultimate goal of eliminating human suffering and enabling people to live without the burden of disease. Kriya is a biopharmaceutical company developing gene therapies to address common diseases affecting millions of people around the world. With operations in Palo Alto, California and Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, Kriya has raised over $600 million, which will be used to advance a broad pipeline of gene therapies for ophthalmology, metabolic disease and neurology. For more information, please visit www.kriyatx.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X (Formerly Twitter).
Kriya Media Contact:
Kelli Perkins
kelli@redhousecomms.com