Adverum Biotechnologies announces the appointment of Dr. Rabia

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., June 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Adverum Biotechnologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADVM), a clinical-stage company pioneering the use of gene therapy as a new standard of care for highly prevalent eye diseases, today announced the appointments of Dr. Rabia Gurses Ozden to the Company’s management team as Chief Medical Officer and Dr. Szilárd Kiss to the Company’s Board of Directors. Dr. Ozden stepped down from the Company’s Board of Directors and Dr. Kiss assumed his current position on the Board.

“Adverum has made significant progress in demonstrating Ixo-vec’s potentially best-in-class profile in patients with wet AMD. As Ixo-vec progresses through the LUNA study and toward pivotal studies, we will greatly benefit from the significant expertise of both Dr. Ozden and Dr. Kiss,” said Laurent Fischer, MD, president and CEO of Adverum Biotechnologies. “Dr. Ozden is a pioneer in the clinical development of novel therapies, including AAV gene therapies and innovative pivotal research designs for eye diseases. Her guidance as a member of the Board has been invaluable, and we look forward to working closely with her in her operational role as Chief Medical Officer.” Dr. Kiss is a world-renowned retina specialist specializing in ocular gene therapy, and his expertise will complement our experienced Board of Directors. We have benefited from Dr. Kiss’s experience as a long-time scientific and clinical advisor to Adverum and he will continue to provide valuable insight. this new role on our Board.”

“I am excited to join the executive and clinical team at Adverum and look forward to supporting the clinical development of Ixo-vec through pivotal studies,” said Dr. Ozden. “Based on the long-term safety and efficacy results from the OPTIC study and the promising drug profile of LUNA, I believe Ixo-vec has the potential to change the treatment paradigm by offering a potential lifelong solution to preserving vision for patients with wet AMD.”

“Compliance with current standards of care for wet AMD and frequent eye injections place a burden on patients and their caregivers, often leading to undertreatment of the disease and loss of vision. As a practicing physician with experience in multiple ocular gene therapy programs, I believe in the potential of gene therapy to deliver sustained levels of anti-VEGF at the site of disease and dramatically reduce the number of injections in patients with wet AMD,” said Szilárd Kiss, MD, Bob and Dolores Hope – Robert M. Ellsworth, M.D. Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology and Professor of Ophthalmology in Genetic Medicine at Weil Cornell Medical College. “At such a key moment for Adverum and the Ixo-vec program, joining the company’s Management Board is a great honor and an opportunity to work closer with such an esteemed management team. I look forward to helping the team continue to advance this exciting method of treating patients.”

Bow. Rabia Gurses Ozden has over 20 years of experience in ophthalmic drug development, including extensive experience in AAV-based ophthalmic gene therapies. Most recently, in addition to serving as a member of Adverum’s board of directors, Dr. Ozden served as Chief Medical Officer at Ocular Therapeutix, where she led the clinical development of a number of Ocular Therapeutix programs focusing on the front and back of the eye. Dr. Ozden’s extensive experience includes clinical development, clinical operations and pharmacovigilance in the development of pharmaceutical products and medical devices, as well as experience working with global regulatory agencies and developing new clinical endpoints. Prior to joining Ocular in 2021, Dr. Ozden served as Chief Development Officer at Akouos, a precision genetic medicine company developing first-in-class AAV gene therapies for the treatment of hearing disorders, acquired by Eli Lilly in 2022, where she led clinical syndrome development of gene therapies for sensorineural hearing loss. Previously, she served as Chief Medical Officer at Nightstar Therapeutics plc, a gene therapy company focused on the development of AAV therapies for the treatment of rare inherited retinal diseases, acquired by Biogen in 2019. Additionally, Dr. Ozden has held leadership positions at Applied Genetic Technologies and GlaxoSmithKline, and She started her career in clinical development positions. Dr. Ozden received her M.D. from Hacettepe University School of Medicine, completed her residency in ophthalmology at Ankara University School of Medicine, and completed her clinical internship in glaucoma at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.

Bow. Szilárd Kiss has over 20 years of experience in eye gene therapy and is a recognized specialist in vitreoretinal medicine and surgery. His clinical and translational research focuses on four broad areas: retinal imaging, ocular gene therapy, novel therapeutic targets for ocular neovascularization, and genetic markers for retinal diseases. Dr. Kiss has participated as principal investigator in over twenty prospective clinical trials and laboratory studies. He is the author of over 350 scientific publications, has given over 300 invited lectures around the world, is a member of the Editorial Committee and a scientific reviewer of many leading journals. Dr. Kiss is the recipient of numerous academic and research awards, including a Heed Ophthalmology Foundation Fellowship, a Ronald G. Michels Foundation Fellowship, and an International Fellowship. Paul Kayser and awards for physician-scientists involved in research on the prevention of blindness. Dr. Kiss received his bachelor’s degree with honors from Columbia College, completed his medical training at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, and completed his ophthalmology residency and vitreoretinal surgery fellowship at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary.

About Adverum Biotechnologies

Adverum Biotechnologies (NASDAQ: ADVM) is a clinical-stage company committed to establishing gene therapy as the new standard of care for highly prevalent eye diseases, with the aspiration to develop functional medicines to restore vision and prevent blindness. Leveraging the capabilities of its proprietary intravitreal (IVT) platform, Adverum is developing durable, single-administration therapies designed for use in physician offices to eliminate the need for frequent intraocular injections to treat these diseases. Adverum is evaluating its new gene therapy candidate, ixoberogen soroparvovec (Ixo-vec, previously referred to as ADVM-022), as a one-time IVT injection for patients with neovascular or wet age-related macular degeneration. Additionally, by overcoming the challenges of current treatment paradigms for devastating eye diseases, Adverum aims to transform the standard of care, preserve vision and make a profound social impact around the world. More information can be found at www.adverum.com.

Forward-looking statements

Statements contained in this press release regarding events or results that may occur in the future constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements related to a change in leadership and its anticipated benefits, the potential benefits of Ixo-vec as a one-time IVT injection for the treatment of wet AMD, including Ixo-vec’s potentially best-in-class drug profile and other statements containing the words “anticipates”, “expects”, ” potential”, “target”, “will” and similar expressions. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements due to various risks and uncertainties, including, among others: with: risks related to market conditions. Additional risks and uncertainties to which Adverum is subject are set forth under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in Adverum’s filings and reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including Adverum’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC, as updated by any subsequent reports on Form 10-Q. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date they are made. Adverum undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they are made, except as required by law.

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