eGenesis, a biotechnology company utilizing breakthrough gene editing technologies for the development of safe and effective human-compatible organs to address the global organ shortage, announced that David A. Carmel has been appointed as Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications. Mr. Carmel will lead eGenesis’ external outreach efforts to advocacy organizations, professional societies, policymakers, and investors.
“We are thrilled to have David’s skills and experience leading our external relations program,” said Paul Sekhri, President and Chief Executive Officer of eGenesis. “While at Atara, he became recognized as a national leader for the solid organ transplant community. His expertise developing deep relationships with all key stakeholders for an emerging company the size of eGenesis makes him an invaluable addition to the leadership team as we build a world-class company to help solve the global organ crisis.”
Prior to joining eGenesis, Mr. Carmel served as Vice President of Medical Affairs and Strategic Alliances at Atara Biotherapeutics, where he helped to advance tab-cel® (tabelecleucel), which is in Phase 3 development for post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD), an aggressive cancer that affects patients who have received a solid organ or bone marrow transplant. Earlier, he was Co-Founder and Principal of Carmel Asset Management, an investment partnership where he was responsible for life science investments. Previously, he held positions in public affairs and business development for StemCyte, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson. Mr. Carmel served as the White House Fellow for the Secretary of the Treasury from 2002 to 2003.
“David is a proven national leader in advocating for the development of new therapies for organ transplant patients,” said Jim Gleason, National President of Transplant Recipients International Organization (TRIO). “I have seen too many of my members, and too many of my friends, die while waiting for an organ transplant. I look forward to continuing to work with David and the talented team at eGenesis to develop new therapeutic options for these patients.”
Mr. Carmel was appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo to the New York Life Science Advisory Board. He is a Founding Board Member of the New York Stem Cell Foundation, a former member of the New York State Spinal Cord Injury Research Board, and a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute. He worked on the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, which provided $3 billion to fund stem cell research. He earned a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard College and an MBA with a certificate in health care from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
About Transplantation and Xenotransplantation
The demand for lifesaving organs far outnumbers available supply. In the U.S. today, 20 people die every day due to lack of available organs for transplant and every 10 minutes an additional name is added to the national transplant waitlist. There are more than 113,000 people in need of a lifesaving organ transplant in the U.S. alone. The concept of xenotransplantation, or the transplantation of organs, tissue and cells from one species into another, has been explored for several decades, with the pig considered the most suitable donor for humans. However, until the development of modern gene editing tools, incompatibilities related to virology and immunology have prevented porcine organ xenotransplantation from entering clinical development.
About eGenesis
eGenesis’ goal is to make available safe and reliable organs, tissues, and cells to patients in need and advance the field of transplantation. eGenesis’ uses gene editing technology such as CRISPR to directly address the key virology and immunology hurdles that have impeded xenotransplantation to date. eGenesis is advancing an initial product toward the clinic for kidney transplant, with the longer-term potential of addressing a broader organ recipient population and expanding the applicability of xenotransplantation into other areas such as cell therapy. Learn more at https://www.egenesisbio.com/
About Transplant Recipients International Organization (TRIO)
RIO is an independent, not-for-profit, international organization committed to improving the quality of life of transplant candidates, recipients, their families and the families of organ and tissue donors. TRIO is widely recognized and respected as the leading voice of transplantation, representing donors, candidates, recipients and their families. Through the TRIO Headquarters and a network of Chapters and members-at-large, TRIO serves its members in the areas of support, advocacy, education and donor awareness.
Media Contact:
Ryo Imai / Robert Flamm, Ph.D.
Burns McClellan, Inc.
212-213-0006 ext. 315 / 364
Rimai@burnsmc.com / Rflamm@burnsmc.com
Investor Contact:
Steve Klass
Burns McClellan, Inc.
212-213-0006
Sklass@burnsmc.com