ViaCyte Strengthens Management Team with Appointment of Alyssa Levin as Chief Financial Officer and Addition of Lisa Porter, MD, to the Board of Directors

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ViaCyte, Inc., a clinical-stage regenerative medicine company developing novel cell replacement therapies to address diseases with significant unmet needs, today announced the appointment of Alyssa Levin as Chief Financial Officer and addition of Lisa E. Porter, M.D., to its Board of Directors. 

"We are excited to welcome Alyssa and Lisa to ViaCyte to ensure we are well-positioned for the future as we continue advancing ground-breaking therapeutics for type 1 diabetes," said Michael Yang, President and Chief Executive Officer, ViaCyte. "Alyssa's business expertise will be a major asset as we execute our mission to fully realize the potential of ViaCyte's regenerative medicine platform, and our clinical programs will benefit greatly from Lisa's first-hand experience as both a physician and senior executive leading drug development strategy, clinical trials, and commercialization."

"With important milestones on the horizon, I am looking forward to working with Michael and our leadership team as we chart the course for ViaCyte as an industry leader providing potentially life-changing cell therapies," said Ms. Levin. "I am excited to lead the finance team as we pursue significant clinical and growth opportunities to create increased value across our pipeline."

"ViaCyte is leading the way into the clinic with new approaches to cell therapies that will help lessen the disease burden for people living with diabetes," said Dr. Porter. "As a physician, I am excited to see ViaCyte expand the potential of cell replacement therapies for diabetes and other disease indications to bring functional cures to patients in need."

Appointee Bios

Most recently, Ms. Levin served as the Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Operations for Tentarix Biotherapeutics where she led the company's finance functions and played a key role in overseeing the expansion of the team as well as planning and operations setup. Previously, Ms. Levin was Chief Financial Officer at Bird Rock Bio, a clinical-stage bio-pharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of fibrotic, metabolic and inflammatory diseases. In this role, she managed all finance, accounting, investor relations, treasury and human resources. Additionally, she held positions with PwC LLP, Evomed LLC & Cosmederm Bioscience, Inc., and The Siegfried Group, LLP. Ms. Levin earned her B.A. from the University of British Columbia and an M.A. in Professional Accountancy from the University of Saskatchewan.

Dr. Porter currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer for Nano Precision Medical, a biopharmaceutical company focused on drug delivery to treat chronic metabolic diseases, where she is responsible for the strategy, direction and execution of clinical development plans for novel drug:device combinations. Prior to Nano Precision Medical, Dr. Porter was Chief Medical Officer for Eiger Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. and Dance Biopharma, Inc. (now Aerami Therapeutics). She previously held executive positions with Amylin Pharmaceuticals leading efforts that resulted in the approval of Bydureon, a GLP-1 agonist and the first once-weekly treatment for Type 2 diabetes. Additionally, Dr. Porter served in multiple clinical development and leadership roles at GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals and Zeneca Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Porter, a graduate of the College of William and Mary, earned her M.D. from Duke University School of Medicine and conducted her residency at Duke University Medical Center, then completed a fellowship in Endocrinology and Hypertension at Brigham & Women's Hospital. 

About ViaCyte

ViaCyte is a privately held clinical-stage regenerative medicine company developing novel cell replacement therapies based on two major technological advances: cell replacement therapies derived from pluripotent stem cells and medical device systems for cell encapsulation and implantation. ViaCyte has the opportunity to use these technologies to address critical human diseases and disorders that can potentially be treated by replacing lost or malfunctioning cells or proteins. The Company's first product candidates are being developed as potential long-term treatments for patients with type 1 diabetes to achieve glucose control targets and reduce the risk of hypoglycemia and diabetes-related complications. To accelerate and expand ViaCyte's efforts, it has established collaborative partnerships with leading companies, including CRISPR Therapeutics and W.L. Gore & Associates. ViaCyte is headquartered in San Diego, California. For more information, please visit www.viacyte.com and connect with ViaCyte on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

SOURCE ViaCyte, Inc.