After more than 30 years, gene therapy trailblazer James Wilson M.D., Ph.D., is leaving the University of Pennsylvania. He will be spearheading two new companies meant to translate the scientific discoveries made in the school’s Gene Therapy Program, where he served as director, into new treatments.
"Forming these two new entities is the next step to accelerate the future of gene therapy and deliver therapeutics to patients significantly faster," Wilson said in a July 31 release.
Wilson will be CEO of GEMMA Biotherapeutics and Franklin Biolabs, which will work in tandem to develop new gene therapies. GEMMABio will be the research and development side of things, while Franklin Biolabs, a genetic medicines contract research organization, will take on services and production duties.
Wilson is best known for the discovery and development of adeno-associated viruses as vectors for gene therapy. These viruses infect primates but don’t cause disease in humans and so can be engineered to deliver genetic material into our cells. These viruses were first noticed in 1965 just down the road from Penn, at Robert Atchison’s lab in Pittsburgh, before Guangping Gao, Ph.D., began isolating and describing them in Wilson’s group in the early 2000s.
Penn’s Gene Therapy Program will be transitioning to the new companies, according to the release, with the majority of current employees being offered jobs at either GEMMABio or Franklin Biolabs. The companies will remain in the Philadelphia area and will focus on developing therapies for rare diseases.
According to the release, funding for both companies is imminent. GEMMABio’s cash will come from a group of multiple investors and investment groups, while Franklin Biolabs will be supported by one investor.
Wilson has long had a foot in the biotech world, with several companies spinning out of his lab including iECURE. He also serves as chief science advisor to Passage Bio.