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Prominent gene therapy researcher Jim Wilson is leaving the University of Pennsylvania where he led one of the largest and most influential academic groups in the field. Discover 2 new private companies.
The new companies, called Gemma Biotherapeutics and Franklin Biolabs, will be formed from parts of the university’s gene therapy program that will spin off most of the program’s staff, with Wilson serving as CEO of Gemma Bio and chairman of Franklin Biolabs.
In a statement on Wednesday, Wilson said the creation of these companies is the “next step” to accelerate the delivery of gene therapies to patients.
Gemma Bio will function as a biotechnology company focused on rare disease research, while Franklin Biolabs will act as a contract research organization and support gene therapy-related services and production, with both companies based in the greater Philadelphia area.
GemmaBio is backed by a syndicate of anonymous investors, and the company Acquires License for Three Clinical-Stage Gene Therapy Candidates from Passage Biois a company Wilson previously founded, while Franklin Biolabs was funded by a single investor.
Gemma Bio has licensed three therapeutics to treat pediatric disorders including GM1 gangliosidosis and Krabbe disease. Gemma Bio will pay Passage Bio $10 million and assume Passage Bio’s remaining financial obligations to the University of Pennsylvania.
Wilson has been a key figure in the field of gene therapy for decades. He joined Penn in 1993 and led an early gene therapy trial that resulted in the death of research volunteer Jesse Gelsinger in 1999. The tragedy put a halt to research for many years until a safer way of delivering genes into the body could be developed, but Wilson’s program at Penn made significant contributions that led to the development of a safer way of delivering genes into the body.
Penn research has contributed to three gene therapies approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and in addition to Passage Bio, Wilson Regen Bio and G2Bio.
Wilson’s administration of Penn’s program has also come under scrutiny in the wake of The Daily Pennsylvanian’s report. Documented a toxic workplace culture.
