By Godson Umejiego, Bureau Chief, The Americas
A clinical-stage US biotechnology company developing allogeneic, off-the-shelf cell therapies for the treatment of hematological and solid tumor malignancies, Wugen, Inc., has announced the appointment of Jim Faulkner, Ph.D., as chief technology officer, initially serving on an interim basis.
“Jim brings a specialized skillset and innovative technology experience at the start of what will be a year of momentum for Wugen,” said president and chief executive officer of Wugen Kumar Srinivasan, Ph.D., M.B.A.,. “Jim has been instrumental in bringing more than 25 different therapeutics into the clinic, including multiple gene therapy and CAR-T assets. We remain diligently focused on the launch of our pivotal Phase 2 trial for WU-CART-007, the first CD7-targeted allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy. Jim’s experience will be critical as we advance that program.”
“I was immediately impressed by this team’s laser-focused effort to advance WU-CART-007. The data they have generated suggest WU-CART-007 has great potential,” Dr. Faulkner said. “I’m excited to be joining a company that shares my dedication and commitment to moving the field of cell and gene therapy forward, and I’m especially excited about the opportunity to work with the team to pioneer novel allogeneic cell therapies.”
Dr. Faulkner’s vast experience in the field includes consulting and biotechnology company leadership roles. Currently, Dr. Faulkner operates an independent consultancy company advising clients on diverse aspects of gene and cell therapy development and serves as a non-executive director on several boards, including the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, based in London. A former venture partner at Apple Tree Partners (ATP), Dr. Faulkner simultaneously served as chief technical officer at Ascidian Therapeutics, a gene therapy company developing novel Exon Editing technology. Earlier, he was head of product delivery at Autolus Ltd, a clinical-stage CAR-T company spun out of University College London (UCL), where he was a member of the core senior team that advanced the company from start-up to successful IPO in three years.
Dr. Faulkner holds a degree in biotechnology from the University of Leeds in the UK and completed a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology while at the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research. After starting his career at British Biotech, he joined GlaxoSmithKline, where he held a series of increasingly senior roles in biopharmaceutical development.
