Orchard Therapeutics Appoints Jon Ellis to Board of Directors

Boston, USA and London, UK, August 02, 2018 / B3C newswire / -- Orchard Therapeutics, a leading commercial-stage biotech company dedicated to transforming the lives of patients with rare diseases through innovative gene therapies, today announced the appointment of Jon Ellis, Ph.D. as GSK’s designated representative to its board of directors. Dr. Ellis is currently vice president and head of science & technology licensing at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

"Jon brings a unique combination of business development expertise and deep understanding of emerging technologies in the field of gene and cell therapy. We believe Orchard will greatly benefit from his advice as the company continues to build a world-leading pipeline of gene therapies for rare diseases," said Mark Rothera, president and CEO of Orchard.

Dr. Ellis brings more than 25 years in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, leading a variety of R&D activities including drug development projects and strategic business development with a particular focus on complex technologies and emerging therapeutic modalities. At GSK, Dr. Ellis led several strategic transactions in the gene therapy field. Dr. Ellis holds Master of Arts and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Cambridge, and a Master of Business Administration from Henley Management College. He is an inventor of more than 35 patent families.

Dr. Ellis commented, "GSK conducted an exhaustive process to identify the best company to place its gene therapy programmes for rare diseases. Orchard impressed us with its commitment and capabilities. I am delighted to be joining Orchard’s board of directors and look forward to working with the board and executive team to deliver commercially approved gene therapies to patients across the world."

 
About Orchard
Orchard Therapeutics is a commercial-stage biotechnology company dedicated to transforming the lives of patients with rare diseases through innovative gene therapies. Orchard’s portfolio of autologous ex vivo gene therapies includes Strimvelis, the first autologous ex vivo gene therapy approved by the EMA for adenosine deaminase severe combined immunodeficiency (ADA-SCID). Additional programs for primary immune deficiencies, inherited metabolic disorders and blood disorders include three advanced registrational studies for ADA-SCID, metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS), clinical programs for X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (X-CGD) and beta-thalassemia, as well as an extensive preclinical pipeline.  Orchard currently has offices in the U.K. and the U.S., including London, San Francisco and Boston.

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