Garnet BioTherapeutics Appoints Sanjay Batra, Ph.D., F.A.C.C., as Senior Vice President, Development

MALVERN, Pa., March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Garnet BioTherapeutics, Inc., a regenerative medicine company focused on developing products that speed healing and reduce scarring after surgery or dermatologic procedures, today announced the appointment of Sanjay Batra, Ph.D., F.A.C.C., as Senior Vice President, Development.  Dr. Batra has more than 15 years of research and development experience in both the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, including nine years at Johnson & Johnson.  In his role at Garnet BioTherapeutics, Dr. Batra will oversee all clinical development programs including the upcoming Phase II study of the Company's lead compound GBT009, which is under investigation as a post-surgical wound healing agent.  

"We believe Sanjay will be an invaluable asset to the Garnet team as we advance our GBT009 program as a therapy to enhance dermal healing and reduce scarring after surgery," said Gerri Henwood, CEO of Garnet.  "Sanjay brings a solid scientific background and a proven track record in global product development based on his experience at Centocor and J&J and more than 15 years in the healthcare industry. We are confident that Sanjay will help us realize the potential of our cell-based therapy platform."

"I am excited to join Garnet BioTherapeutics during such a critical stage of the company's evolution.  Gerri has built a first class team here and I look forward to joining forces as we achieve our goal of becoming a leader in the field of regenerative medicine," said Dr. Batra.

Since joining the Johnson & Johnson family of companies in 2001, Dr. Batra held positions of increasing responsibility in both clinical development and project management at Centocor, Inc.  Most recently, Dr. Batra was Vice President, R&D Pharmaceuticals, Asia-Pacific and Japan for J&J, where he was responsible for ensuring global connectivity across all therapeutic areas.

Prior to his time at J&J, Dr. Batra was in clinical development at Bracco Diagnostics, and in preclinical and clinical development at Alliance Pharmaceuticals.  Dr. Batra obtained his Ph.D. in Medical Physiology from the University of Ottawa, Canada and completed his post-doctoral training in Sapporo, Japan and Bern, Switzerland. Dr. Batra is the recipient of numerous awards and has published over 100 papers and abstracts in the area of cardiovascular medicine and physiology.

About Garnet BioTherapeutics

Garnet BioTherapeutics is a clinical stage regenerative medicine company based in Malvern, PA. Garnet cell-product GBT009 releases anti-inflammatory and pro-healing factors that accelerate healing and reduce scarring. The company is currently targeting dermatology applications, with plans to expand into other reconstructive and cosmetic procedures as well as looking at ways to advance the technology for use in orthopedic and cardiovascular surgical procedures, burn treatment, chronic wound healing and auto-immune disorders.  For more information, please visit www.garnetbio.com.

SOURCE Garnet BioTherapeutics, Inc.