Gyroscope Announces Appointment of Leaders in Retinal Disease, Gene Therapy and the Complement System to Its Clinical and Scientific Advisory Boards

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Gyroscope Therapeutics Limited, a clinical-stage retinal gene therapy company, today announced the appointment of leading experts in retinal disease, gene therapy and the complement system to its Clinical and Scientific Advisory Boards. The newly appointed boards will help guide the development of the company’s lead investigational gene therapy, GT005, a one-time therapy being developed to potentially slow the progression of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), as well as novel gene therapy delivery systems and additional pipeline candidates.

“This is an exciting time for Gyroscope and we are honoured to have a group of highly esteemed leaders in retinal surgery, ophthalmology and gene therapy join our Clinical Advisory Board,” said Nadia Waheed, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Gyroscope. “We look forward to working with these leaders as we advance the clinical development of GT005 and our proprietary delivery system, with the ultimate goal of helping preserve the sight of millions of people who suffer from vision loss as a result of dry AMD.”

“We have embarked upon an ambitious journey exploring the potential of gene therapy beyond rare disease and building a pipeline of potential medicines for one of the world’s leading causes of blindness,” said Jane Hughes, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Gyroscope. “We are excited to welcome our Scientific Advisory Board members to Gyroscope and to benefit from the insights of some of the world’s leading experts as we advance our understanding of the role of the complement system in retinal diseases.”

Members of the Gyroscope Therapeutics Clinical Advisory Board include:

Professor Jacque Duncan, M.D. – Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine.

Jeffrey Heier, M.D. – Co-President and Medical Director, Director of the Vitreoretinal Service and Director of Retina Research at Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston.

Professor Allen Ho, M.D. – Professor of Ophthalmology at Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, and Attending Surgeon and Director of Retina Research at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.

Professor Nancy Holekamp, M.D. – Director of Retina Services at Pepose Vision Institute and Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Arshad Khanani, M.D., M.A. – Managing Partner, Director of Clinical Research and Director of Fellowship at Sierra Eye Associates, and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine.

Professor Robert MacLaren – Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Oxford Eye Hospital, Honorary Professor of Ophthalmology at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Honorary Consultant Vitreoretinal Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital, and an NIHR Senior Investigator. Professor MacLaren is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Board.

Professor Sir Keith Peters, M.D. – Senior Consultant to The Francis Crick Institute in London and Regius Professor of Physic Emeritus at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Professor Peters is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Board.

Professor Hendrik Scholl, M.D. – Founder and Director of the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel in Switzerland, and Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Basel.

Professor David Steel, M.D., MBBS, FRCOphth – Consultant Ophthalmologist at Sunderland Eye Infirmary in the United Kingdom and Honorary Professor of Retinal Surgery at Newcastle University in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. Professor Steel is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Board.

Professor Bernhard Weber, Ph.D. – Head of Institute of Human Genetics, Head of Institute of Clinical Human Genetics, and Director of the Diagnostics Unit for DNA Testing and Vice President of Research of the University of Regensburg, Germany.

Charles Wykoff, M.D., Ph.D. – Director of Research at Retina Consultants of Houston, Deputy Chair for Ophthalmology at Blanton Eye Institute, and Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology Weill Cornell Medical College at Houston Methodist Hospital.

Members of the Gyroscope Scientific Advisory Board include:

Professor Alberto Auricchio, M.D. – Professor of Medical Genetics at the Department of Advanced Biomedicine, “Federico II” University in Naples, and Coordinator of the Molecular Therapy Program at Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM) in Pozzuoli (NA), in Italy.

Professor Pete Coffey, DPhil – Theme Lead of Development, Ageing and Disease at University College London’s Institute of Ophthalmology and the Co-Executive Director of Translation at the University of California Santa Barbara’s Center for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering.

Professor Claire Harris – Professor of Molecular Immunology at Newcastle University.

Professor David Kavanagh, Ph.D., FRCP – Professor of Complement Therapeutics at the National Renal Complement Therapeutics Centre (NRCTC), Newcastle University.

Professor Sir Peter Lachmann, FRS, FMEDSCI – Emeritus Sheila Joan Smith Professor of Immunology, University of Cambridge.

Professor Robert MacLaren – Professor MacLaren is also a member of the Clinical Advisory Board.

Professor Sir Keith Peters, M.D. – Professor Peters is also a member of the Clinical Advisory Board.

Professor Matthew Pickering, Ph.D., M.B., B.S. – Professor of Rheumatology, Imperial College London
Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, and Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow in Clinical Science.

Professor David Steel, M.D., MBBS, FRCOphth – Professor Steel is also a member of the Clinical Advisory Board.

Professor Timothy Stout, M.D. – Sid W. Richardson Professor and Margarett Root Brown Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, and Director of the Cullen Eye Institute at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Full biographies for members of the Gyroscope Advisory Boards are available at www.gyroscopetx.com.

About Gyroscope Therapeutics: Vision for Life

Gyroscope Therapeutics is a clinical-stage retinal gene therapy company developing and delivering gene therapy beyond rare disease to treat a leading cause of blindness, dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Currently, there are no approved treatments for dry AMD.

Our investigational gene therapy, GT005, is designed to restore balance to a part of our immune system called the complement system. An overactive complement system leads to inflammation that damages healthy eye tissues. Our ultimate goal is to slow the progression of dry AMD. Patients in our Phase I/II clinical trial, known as the FOCUS study, receive a single dose of GT005 through an injection under their retina.

Syncona Ltd, our lead investor, helped us create the only retinal gene therapy company to combine discovery, research, drug development, a manufacturing platform, and surgical delivery capabilities. Headquartered in London with locations in Philadelphia and San Francisco, our mission is to preserve sight and fight the devastating impact of blindness. For more information, visit www.gyroscopetx.com and follow us on Twitter (@GyroscopeTx) and on LinkedIn.

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