SpliceBio Appoints Leading Ophthalmology Expert Aniz Girach as Chief Medical Officer

Dr Girach is a world-renowned specialist in the field of ophthalmology and gene therapyAppointment further strengthens SpliceBio’s leadership team as it accelerates lead program targeting Stargardt disease towards clinical developmentRevolutionizing genetic medicine with its proprietary Protein Splicing platform

BARCELONA, Spain, Jan. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — SpliceBio, a genetic medicines company harnessing Protein Splicing to develop the next generation of gene therapies, is pleased to announce the appointment of Aniz Girach, MD as Chief Medical Officer.

Dr Girach is an ophthalmologist with over 25 years’ industry experience in the field of Medical Retina and Genetic Therapy for inherited retinal diseases. He has been involved in the development and approval of four drugs in ophthalmology. Dr Girach was Global Head of Ophthalmology at Merck & Co and Vice President, Clinical Development at Alcon Laboratories. At Oxurion NV (formerly ThromboGenics) he was Global Head of Ophthalmology and Chief Medical Officer where he oversaw the development and approval of Ocriplasmin (Jetrea), a first in class biologic therapy for retinal disease. Dr Girach was Chief Medical Officer at Nightstar Therapeutics where he led and oversaw the development of its gene therapy programs for inherited retinal diseases, prior to its acquisition by Biogen for $800 million. Prior to joining SpliceBio, he led the development of genetic therapies for inherited retinal diseases at ProQR Therapeutics NV as its Chief Medical Officer.

Miquel Vila-Perelló, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, and co-founder of SpliceBio, said: “Dr Girach joins SpliceBio at an important time of growth as we accelerate our lead program targeting Stargardt disease into clinical development. Dr Girach’s unrivalled experience in the field of ophthalmology and genetic medicines will be instrumental as we further strengthen our leadership team and maximize the potential of our proprietary Protein Splicing platform.”

Aniz Girach, MD., Chief Medical Officer of SpliceBio, commented: “Inherited retinal diseases are a heterogenous group of rare diseases that can lead to severe visual disability and blindness, affecting approximately 5.5 million people worldwide. With its next generation Protein Splicing platform, SpliceBio is pioneering a new gene therapy modality which has the potential to transform the treatment paradigm for inherited retinal diseases and I am delighted to be joining the stellar leadership team at a pivotal time for the Company.”

Dr Girach spent 11 years in Clinical Practice and Academia before joining the pharmaceutical industry with Eli Lilly as its Senior Global Ophthalmologist and Medical Director where he specialized in retinal diseases. He is a Visiting and Honorary Professor at Wills Eye Hospital, Philadelphia, USA, and is a reviewer for five peer-reviewed international ophthalmology journals. He has published four textbooks in ophthalmology and has published over 90 abstracts and manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals in ophthalmology, with numerous invited lectures at national and international ophthalmology meetings. He currently holds Independent Board of Directorship positions for two biotechnology companies and is also the Chair of the R&D Committees for both companies.

SpliceBio’s leadership team will be attending the upcoming 42nd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, 8-11 January 2024.

About SpliceBio

SpliceBio is a genetic medicines company harnessing its proprietary Protein Splicing platform to develop the next generation of gene therapies. The Company’s platform offers the potential to address diseases that currently cannot be treated with gene therapies because the necessary gene is too large to be delivered by adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors. The company’s lead program targets Stargardt disease, a genetic eye disease that causes vision loss in children and adults. SpliceBio’s platform is based on technology developed in the Muir Lab at Princeton University after more than 20 years of pioneering intein and protein engineering research. For additional information, please visit www.splice.bio. 

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SOURCE SpliceBio