Meet Melissa Kotterman, PhD: ASGCT Volunteer Rockstar
August 02, 2023
In an August 2023 installment of our series highlighting ASGCT member volunteers, meet Melissa Kotterman, PhD, chair of the Society's Viral Gene Transfer Vectors Committee.
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ASGCT is a volunteer-led organization, and it could not effectively pursue its mission and strategic vision without the commitment of its volunteers. The Society does so through 32 standing, scientific, and board committees supported by more than 400 member volunteers. We recognize our committee leaders for their time, commitment, and expertise, and appreciate their willingness to help ASGCT advance the field of gene and cell therapy in a unique and meaningful way.
Melissa Kotterman, PhD, is the Chief Scientific Officer at Iris Medicine. Dr. Kotterman's research focus and expertise relate to early-stage discovery and nonclinical development of genetic medicines for the treatment of both rare and complex diseases. Prior to joining Iris Medicine, Dr. Kotterman co-founded 4D Molecular Therapeutics and served as the Vice President of the Discovery & Engineering Department. Through her leadership, 4DMT advanced five AAV gene therapy programs involving novel, engineered capsids from scientific concept to first-in-human clinical trials. She was also a co-founder and scientific advisor of Ignite Immunotherapy until its acquisition by Pfizer.
Dr. Kotterman received her B.S. in chemical engineering and biomedical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and her doctorate in chemical and biomolecular engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, where she was a National Science Foundation graduate research fellow.
Dr. Kotterman leads the Viral Gene Transfer Vectors Committee and is responsible for directing the committee as they develop programming for the Annual Meeting, Insight Series, and other Society events.
ASGCT thanks Dr. Kotterman for her service on ASGCT’s Viral Gene Transfer Vectors Committee. Our members serve as subject matter experts for Society-led projects, including Annual Meeting programming, through both our standing committees and scientific committees, and we could not do the work we do without them.
For questions on ASGCT committees or volunteer process, please contact Dani Gale (dgale@asgct.org)
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