ASGCT Members Elect Five New Directors from CHOP, UMass, Advanced Therapy Partners, bluebird bio, and Vanderbilt University

The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) is excited to welcome five incoming members of the Society's leadership team, including a new addition to the presidential line of succession, at the 22nd Annual Meeting. Members of ASGCT elected five of their peers to join the Society's leadership team for a three-year term (2019-2021).

All five incoming members of the ASGCT Board of Directors will assume their roles following the 22nd Annual Meeting, held April 29-May 2 at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.

Vice President

Beverly Davidson, Ph.D.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Beverly Davidson, Ph.D. comes to ASGCT by way of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and has been an active member in ASGCT since the Society's founding. She joins the ASGCT line of presidential succession following an engaged history as a committee member and Society leader.

Davidson's work is focused on inherited genetic diseases that cause central nervous system dysfunction, with a particular eye on recessive, childhood onset neurodegenerative disease; dominant genetic diseases; and understanding how noncoding RNAs participate in neural development and neurodegenerative diseases process.

Davidson will join the ASGCT Board of Directors as Vice President in 2019 and ascend through the presidential line, ultimately leading ASGCT as president in 2021-22.

Secretary

Terence R. Flotte, M.D.

University of Massachusetts Medical School

Terence R. Flotte, M.D. is the provost and executive deputy chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Medical School and has been an ASGCT member since the Society's founding and committee participant on the Respiratory Disease Committee and as chair of previous iterations of both the Clinical and Regulatory Affairs Committee, and the Advisory Council. He will assume the role of secretary with ASGCT, and will be instrumental in developing the program for upcoming ASGCT Annual Meetings.

Flotte's research investigates delivery of therapeutic genes and miRNA with recombinant AAV vectors for monogenic diseases, such as alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency and cystic fibrosis (CF). In 1995, his lab was the first to use recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) in humans when they conducted CF clinical trials.

At-Large Director and Membership Council Chair

Maritza McIntyre, Ph.D.

Advanced Therapy Partners, LLC

Maritza McIntyre, Ph.D. is the owner and operator of Advanced Therapies Partners. She has 20 years of experience in the development of cell and gene therapies, including as an FDA reviewer and in several gene therapy start-ups including RegenxBio and Bamboo Therapeutics. She currently serves as the outgoing chair of the Clinical Trials and Regulatory Affairs Committee, which has led ASGCT commentary on numerous FDA guidance documents, co-developed the first FDA liaison meeting with the Government Affairs committee, assisted in the development of various webinars and online educational materials, and represented the society in standards-setting efforts in the field.

At-Large Director

Matthew Wilson, M.D., Ph.D.

Vanderbilt University

Matthew Wilson, M.D., Ph.D. is an associate professor of medicine at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and has been an active member of ASGCT since 2004. He originally joined the Society as a postdoctoral fellow and now serves on the Physical Delivery Therapeutics and Vector Development and Genome Editing committees, chairing the former in 2018-2019. His laboratory is currently focused on developing approaches and technologies for cell and gene therapy of kidney diseases.

At-Large Director

Philip Gregory, D.Phil.

bluebird bio

Philip Gregory, D.Phil. is the chief scientific officer of bluebird bio and has been an ASGCT member since 2004 and has served as a member of both the Program Committee and Advisory Council. Through more than 15 years in the filed, Gregory has developed the basic science, discovery and translation of genome editing technologies for clinical applications. His experience in biotech and as a translational specialist will be invaluable to the Society as it balances an ever-growing list of stakeholders.

ASGCT Members and Transitional Members who are current with their membership dues are eligible to vote in ASGCT elections.

Thank you for your continued participation in ASGCT—we look forward to seeing all of you in Washington, D.C. April 29–May 2 for the 22nd Annual Meeting!