Akouos Appoints Stacy Price as Chief Technical Officer

Rhea-AI Summary

Akouos, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKUS) announced the appointment of Stacy Price as Chief Technical Officer, bringing over 25 years of experience in biotechnology and gene therapy. Price will oversee vector development and manufacturing as well as device engineering. Her prior roles include Senior Vice President at Ziopharm Oncology and Head of Pharmaceutical Development at Shire. Akouos is progressing its AK-OTOF and AK-antiVEGF programs towards IND submissions in the coming year, aiming to enhance its precision genetic medicine platform dedicated to treating disabling hearing loss.

Positive

• Appointment of Stacy Price adds over 25 years of experience in biotechnology and gene therapy.
• Focused on advancing AK-OTOF and AK-antiVEGF programs towards IND submissions next year.
• Enhancement of leadership team may accelerate development of gene therapy products.

Negative

• None.

BOSTON, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Akouos, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKUS), a precision genetic medicine company dedicated to developing potential gene therapies for individuals living with disabling hearing loss worldwide, today announced the appointment of Stacy Price as chief technical officer. Ms. Price brings to Akouos more than 25 years of experience managing clinical and commercial biotechnology manufacturing and technical operations for a wide range of therapeutic modalities, including gene therapy. At Akouos, she will be responsible for the strategy and operations of vector development and manufacturing, as well as device development and engineering.

“We are excited to welcome Stacy to Akouos as we continue to advance the AK-OTOF and AK-antiVEGF programs towards our planned IND submissions next year,” said Manny Simons, Ph.D., M.B.A., co-founder, president, and chief executive officer. “Her extensive operations background, including facilities and construction, Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC), and information management, will add critical experience and skills to our senior leadership team. We look forward to working with Stacy to demonstrate the broad applicability of our precision genetic medicines platform as we move towards clinical development and ultimately commercialization of our pipeline.”

Ms. Price was most recently senior vice president of technical operations at Ziopharm Oncology, where she was accountable for development and delivery of CMC strategy for cell and combination gene therapy products, and for establishing the company’s clinical manufacturing capability. Prior to Ziopharm, Ms. Price was head of pharmaceutical development operations at Shire, where she led CMC program management as well as laboratory and pilot plant operations, and set overall operations strategy. She holds a Master of Science in Biochemical Engineering from Tufts University.

“It is a privilege for me to lead a team of experts establishing the infrastructure and capabilities for manufacturing genetic medicines at Akouos,” said Ms. Price. “I am excited to join Akouos as we work toward achieving the company’s shared mission of healthy hearing available to all.”

About Akouos

Akouos is a precision genetic medicine company dedicated to developing gene therapies with the potential to restore, improve, and preserve high-acuity physiologic hearing for individuals living with disabling hearing loss worldwide. Leveraging its precision genetic medicine platform that incorporates a proprietary adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector library and a novel delivery approach, Akouos is focused on developing precision therapies for forms of sensorineural hearing loss. Headquartered in Boston, Akouos was founded in 2016 by leaders in the fields of neurotology, genetics, inner ear drug delivery, and AAV gene therapy.

Contacts

Media:
Katie Engleman, 1AB
katie@1abmedia.com

Investors:
Courtney Turiano, Stern Investor Relations
Courtney.Turiano@sternir.com

FAQ

What is the recent leadership change at Akouos?

Stacy Price has been appointed as Chief Technical Officer at Akouos.

What experience does Stacy Price bring to Akouos?

Stacy Price has over 25 years of experience in biotechnology and gene therapy, having held significant roles at Ziopharm Oncology and Shire.

What are the goals of Akouos's AK-OTOF and AK-antiVEGF programs?

The AK-OTOF and AK-antiVEGF programs are progressing towards IND submissions planned for next year.

How will Stacy Price's appointment impact Akouos?

Her extensive background in operations and technical management is expected to strengthen Akouos's capabilities in gene therapy.