NAVEGA THERAPEUTICS APPOINTS NEW STRATEGIC ADVISORS TO THE BOARD OF ADVISORS

Epigenetic Gene Therapy Company Adds Experienced Advisors to the Board

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Navega Therapeutics, a leading epigenetic gene therapy company, is pleased to announce the addition of four senior advisors.  The addition of these experienced entrepreneurs and scientific experts will support the team on technical and business topics as the company continues to grow.

The new advisors will contribute their talents in gene therapy product development, AAV manufacturing, and business strategy with more than 125 years of combined experience in this field.   

Jeffrey M. Ostrove, Ph.D. currently serves on the Board of Directors of 3 biotech companies and is a co-founder of 8 additional ones.  He is now the Co-Founder, President and Director of Papillon Therapeutics, a clinical stage company working on genetic treatments for inherited rare diseases. A successful serial entrepreneur Dr. Ostrove was CEO of Stelios Therapeutics, a cardiac and rare disease gene therapy company sold to Lexeo Therapeutics, AbVitro Inc., a therapeutic target discovery company sold to Juno Therapeutics, Ceregene, Inc., a clinical stage company developing gene therapy treatments for neurodegenerative diseases sold to Sangamo Biosciences and Locana Bio.  Dr. Ostrove served on the staff of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the NIH. He holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Florida College of Medicine and completed his post-doctoral studies at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Ostrove has served on multiple boards and is also a past Board member of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO).

Chris Mason, MD, Ph.D. has over 30 years of cell and gene therapy experience spanning R&D, clinical medicine, manufacturing, and commercialization. He is a serial entrepreneur, including Founder and Board Director of OriBiotech, and Founder and former CSO at Avrobio. He is a Board Director of several companies and non-profit organizations, including Krystal Biotech, Papillon Therapeutics, and the Foundation for mRNA Medicines. He is a Full Professor of Cell & Gene Therapy at University College London, and is the Senior Editor of the journal, 'Cell and Gene Therapy Insights'.

"I am delighted to serve as a Senior Advisor to Navega Therapeutics. The company is built on a strong scientific foundation, positioning it to develop a robust pipeline of epigenetic medicines across a wide range of indications. Their first clinical program in chronic pain has the potential to be a game-changer for millions of patients and their caregivers. This breakthrough approach could finally offer lasting pain relief but without the devastating side effects of opioids, which are ineffective, highly addictive, and a leading cause of overdose deaths."

Daniel Bradbury is the former President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of Amylin Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of drug candidates for the treatment of serious metabolic diseases. He served as Amylin's Chief Executive Officer from March 2007 until its acquisition by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company for $7.1B in August 2012. Before joining Amylin in 1994, he worked in marketing and sales roles for 10 years at SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals. He serves on the board of directors of Castle Biosciences and Equillium and several private companies and philanthropic organizations. 

Diego Miralles, MD has had a distinguished career in biotechnology as CEO of Laronde, a Flagship company, and CEO of Vividion Therapeutics, where he spearheaded  raising a significant round of venture capital and formed significant partnerships with BMS/Celgene and Roche. Prior to Vividion, he was President at Adaptive Therapeutics and notably spent eleven years at Johnson & Johnson, culminating as Global Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation. There, he led the establishment of the J&J Innovation  Centers and Janssen/JLABS, and as Vice President of Clinical Development at Tibotec (a J&J company), he successfully led the clinical development of six drugs, five of which received approval. His early career included roles at Trimeris, Inc., Triangle Pharmaceutical, and an academic position at Duke University Medical Center. 

"We are thrilled to have such renowned experts join us. Their deep insights into gene therapy, business strategy, and strategic connections will be invaluable as we advance NT-Z001 into the clinic," said CEO Dr. Ana Moreno. "The addition of these experts will further enable the efficient development of NT-Z001. Supported by funding from the NIH and a recent $4M grant from CIRM, Navega has made remarkable progress in a capital-efficient manner."

ABOUT NAVEGA THERAPEUTICS
Navega Therapeutics is a preclinical stage company advancing epigenetic gene therapies for chronic pain and other complex diseases through its proprietary AI-enabled zinc-finger epigenome regulation platform. Specifically targeting the NaV1.7 sodium channel at the DNA level with its lead program, Navega aims to revolutionize the treatment of conditions like primary erythromelalgia, small fiber neuropathy, and other intractable chronic pain states. Navega's next generation analgesic is a non-addictive gene therapy, exemplifies the company's innovative approach to modulating gene expression for pain management without the risks associated with opioids.

SOURCE Navega Therapeutics