Jim Wilson’s move to industry is anchored in global vision for ultrarare diseases
Gene therapy pioneer tells BioCentury his plans for his newcos GemmaBio and Franklin Biolabs
Jim Wilson and members of his team from the University of Pennsylvania are moving to industry to take on the challenges of gene therapy development at a time when many companies and investors are shying away from the therapeutic modality. In an exclusive conversation with BioCentury, Wilson described how he plans to use his newly launched start-up GemmaBio as a vehicle to create a sustainable model for ultrarare disease gene therapies by capitalizing on efficiencies gained from a platform model. The goal is global development, commercialization and access.
Last week, Wilson announced his planned departure from Penn and the formation of two new companies — Gemma Biotherapeutics Inc. and Franklin Biolabs Inc. Gemma is a therapeutics play that will advance a pipeline of gene therapies from Penn, while Franklin Biolabs will house translational infrastructure from Penn’s Gene Therapy Program (GTP) and serve as a genetic medicine CRO...