Orchard Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to transforming the lives of patients with rare disorders through innovative gene therapies, announced the appointment of Dr Harry Malech, to its scientific advisory board (SAB).
Dr Malech will be contributing his time and expertise ad honorem. Dr Malech is a globally recognised expert in primary immune deficiencies (PIDs) and gene therapy.
Dr Malech is currently Deputy Chief of the Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology (LCIM) and Chief of the Genetic Immunotherapy Section (GIS) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he leads research and clinical development of gene therapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation approaches.
Dr Malech received his medical degree from Yale University in New Haven, Conn. After completing his clinical fellowship training in infectious diseases, he remained at Yale as assistant and then associate professor until 1986. In 1986, Dr Malech joined the NIH as a senior investigator at NIAID.
“Harry Malech is a leading investigator in the field of ex vivo gene therapy and his experience and guidance are invaluable for Orchard’s growing pipeline of medicines for primary immune deficiencies, including chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) and severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID),” said Professor Bobby Gaspar, Chief Scientific Officer of Orchard.
“During his work at the NIH, he has led pioneering trials of gene therapy for CGD and has continued to work on this disease and other conditions such as X-linked SCID. Harry is a leader in the immunodeficiency and gene therapy community and a past President of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT). We are thrilled to have Harry on board.”
Mark Rothera, CEO of Orchard, said: “We are delighted with the appointment of Dr Malech to our scientific advisory board. His expertise in both the science and treatment of primary immune deficiencies will provide tremendous value to our team as we expand our pipeline of potentially transformative medicines in areas of high unmet need."
