James Wilson, gene therapy trailblazer, exits Penn to launch two newcos

Backed by undisclosed investors, gene therapy pioneer James Wilson announced that he will be stepping down as director of the Gene Therapy Program at the University of Pennsylvania, departing the school after a 31-year tenure to launch a pair of start-ups that aim to translate discoveries made at its Penn.

Wilson will become CEO of rare disease biotech GEMMA Biotherapeutics and chairman of genetic medicines CRO Franklin Biolabs. GEMMA launches with licenses to three programs and a research collaboration with Passage Bio Inc. (NASDAQ:PASG), one of eight companies he helped found while at Penn. The licensed therapies target indications in GM1 gangliosidosis, Krabbe disease and metachromatic leukodystrophy. The research collaboration aims to advance gene therapies for CNS indications including Huntington disease. Penn’s release said most of the Gene Therapy Program’s employees will be offered positions at the start-ups...