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Pioneers in
science

Motivated to
change lives

PYC Therapeutics is a drug-development company offering a new generation of RNA therapeutics to meet unmet need in disease.

We have world-leading RNA targeted therapeutics design capabilities which are supported by our revolutionary delivery technology based on Cell Penetrating Peptides (CPPs) to overcome the ‘delivery challenge’ in genomic therapies.

Our differentiated drug delivery capability and RNA drug design experts means we have the skills and means to discover and develop RNA-targeted therapeutics in a truly innovative way. We have three defined preclinical programs for Inherited Retinal Diseases, and a strong focus on Central Nervous System diseases.

Guided by world-class scientists and business leaders who are at the forefront of innovation in their fields, our team has significant experience in the biotechnology sector.

Pioneers in RNA therapeutics, combined with a proprietary delivery technology

Our life-changing science is based on combining our platform technologies: Our proprietry Cell-Penetrating Peptide technology and our PMO-design technology (PPMOs).

Our dedicated team of international scientists are guided by our Chief Scientific Officer, Professor Sue Fletcher, a pioneer in RNA therapies who co-invented Exondys-51, Vyondys-53 and Casimerson (commercialized by Sarepta).

We are harnessing a new generation of RNA-targeted therapeutics called PPMOs to develop precise and highly effective treatments for disease.

Our people

Executive Leadership Board of Directors Scientific Advisory Board Ophthalmology Clinical Advisory Board

Rohan Hockings

MBBS (Hons) JD GDLP

Chief Executive Officer (Australia)

About Rohan:

Rohan Hockings holds double degrees in medicine and law. He has worked across both disciplines following an internship at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and admission to practice in the Supreme Court of Victoria respectively.

He spent four years with McKinsey & Company and a further two years in the Private Equity industry before joining PYC Therapeutics. Rohan brings a deep affinity for conceptual thinking to PYC Therapeutics along with an understanding of the company’s technology and its commercialisation path.

Sue Fletcher AO

PhD

Chief Scientific Officer

About Sue:

In addition to her role as Chief Scientific Officer at PYC, Professor Sue Fletcher is a Senior principal Research Fellow at Murdoch University.

Sue was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2021 for her distinguished service to medical research, to neurological sciences, and to the treatment and support of those with muscular dystrophy.

Sue obtained a BSc in Zoology and Chemistry at the University of Zimbabwe and a PhD in Physiology at the University of Western Australia. Professor Fletcher’s research at The University of Western Australia and Australian Neuromuscular Research Institute (currently the Perron Institute) was as a molecular biologist, studying muscle regeneration and developing therapies for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Professor Fletcher together with Prof. Steve Wilton pioneered the development of a novel therapy for the devastating childhood disorder, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, through the design of antisense oligonucleotide therapies. For their groundbreaking research and distinguished service, Profs. Fletcher and Wilton became Officers of the Order of Australia in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

In 2016, the USA Food and Drug Administration gave accelerated approval to one of Prof. Fletcher and Prof. Wilton’s compounds, called Exondys-51 (previously Eteplirsen). This is the first dystrophin restoring drug of its type ever approved by the FDA. This has been followed by a second compound, Vyondys-53 (previously Golodirsen), gaining approval in 2019, for the treatment of a different sub-type of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. A third compound co-invented by Professor Fletcher, Amondys-45, received accelerated approval from the FDA in 2021.

Prof. Fletcher continues her Neuromuscular research alongside research in other muscle diseases, neurodegenerative disease and Inherited Retinal Dystrophies.

Sri Mudumba

PhD

Chief Preclinical Research Officer

About Sri:

Sri Mudumba is a seasoned Research & Development leader and has more than 20 years’ experience in the pharma and biotech industry. Sri previously worked for small and large companies, such as Alza (a Johnson & Johnson (J&J) owned company), Cygnus Therapeutics (J&J), PowderJect Technologies (Chiron-Novartis), Corium, MacuSight (Santen), and Genentech (Roche).

Recently, Sri was Vice President of Therapeutic Modality Innovation at Santen Pharmaceuticals, where he initiated and developed programs utilizing biologics, small molecules, drug delivery systems, and gene and cell therapy to address various ophthalmic diseases. Prior to this, Sri held different leadership roles at Santen during his 11+ years tenure in Pre-Clinical and Pharmaceutical (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls or CMC management) development and Retina Franchise areas.

Sri has a degree in Pharmacy, and a master’s and PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, specializing in Pharmacology. Sri has developed several products in different therapeutic areas protecting the intellectual property via 28 issued patents till date and a few pending.

Sri is well versed with regulatory guidelines at different stages of development and had successful outcomes interacting with various global regulatory agencies, such as the United States of America’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA), Health Canada, Health Sciences Authority (HSA) Singapore, Central Drug Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) India. Sri joins PYC Therapeutics with a deep passion to develop products for the patients with inherited diseases.

Paula Cunningham

Vice President of Research and Development

About Paula:

Paula holds a PhD in Microbiology, a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Genetics with Honors in Microbiology and a Masters in Environmental Science. She is an experienced scientist with excellent analytical, project management and team building skills. Paula has a strong background in molecular genetics, cell biology and immunology, with specific expertise in allergy and cancer research.

Her research interests focus on the development of highly efficient delivery methods for gene therapies of disease with specific emphasis on inherited retinal diseases. Prior to working at PYC Therapeutics, Paula was Group Leader of Bioassay Development for Phylogica Limited and a Senior Research Officer for Telethon Kids Institute in Perth, Western Australia.

Alan Tribe

Chairman

About Alan:

Mr Tribe has a background in the accounting profession both in the UK and Australia. Moving into industry he became the Managing Director of a group of companies with interests in natural resources in Australia and overseas. The group also included a technology company which grew through both successful product development and acquisitions.

He was closely involved in establishing subsidiary operations in the USA, UK and Singapore to access markets worldwide.
Most recently he was the catalyst for the development for large retail operations in Western and South Australia.

Mr Tribe will contribute his broad experience in successfully commercialising technology internationally. He represents a large shareholding in PYC Therapeutics.

Michael Rosenblatt

MD

Non-Executive Director (USA)

About Michael:

Dr. Michael Rosenblatt is a currently a Senior Partner at Flagship Pioneering.

Dr. Rosenblatt joined Flagship from Merck, where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer from 2009 to 2016. During an earlier period at Merck, he led drug discovery efforts in ophthalmology, molecular biology, bone biology, virology, cancer research, gastroenterology, lipid metabolism and cardiovascular research.

He has held appointments as Dean of Tufts University School of Medicine; Robert H. Ebert Professor of Molecular Medicine and George R. Minot Professor of Medicine, both at Harvard Medical School; President, Harvard Faculty Dean and Senior Vice President for Academic Programs of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; and Director of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.

Dr. Rosenblatt has served as a founding scientist, scientific advisory board member or director of more than 12 biopharmaceutical companies. He received his BA summa cum laude from Columbia University and his MD magna cum laude from Harvard Medical School, and completed internship, residency and endocrinology training at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Jason Haddock

Non-Executive Director (USA)

About Jason:

Jason Haddock has more than 20 years of financial and operational experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and currently serves as a Board Director of Codiak Biosciences, a biotech company developing precision exosome therapeutics. He served as CFO at Array BioPharma, Inc., where he was instrumental in the execution of an oncology-focused research, development and commercialization strategy that culminated in the successful launch of two new drugs and the company ultimately being acquired by Pfizer.

Prior, he worked at Bristol-Myers Squibb in a variety of finance, strategic, commercial and business development capacities, including CFO and COO roles for business units in Asia Pacific, Europe and the United States. Mr. Haddock has also served as CFO for ArcherDX as the company was acquired by Invitae to create a global leader in comprehensive cancer genetics and precision oncology. He holds a BS in accounting from Illinois State University and an EMBA from Washington University in St. Louis.

Rohan Hockings

MBBS (Hons) JD GDLP

Chief Executive Officer (Australia)

About Rohan:

Rohan Hockings holds double degrees in medicine and law. He has worked across both disciplines following an internship at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and admission to practice in the Supreme Court of Victoria respectively.

He spent four years with McKinsey & Company and a further two years in the Private Equity industry before joining PYC Therapeutics. Rohan brings a deep affinity for conceptual thinking to PYC Therapeutics along with an understanding of the company’s technology and its commercialisation path.

Fred Chen

PhD

Scientific Advisory

About Fred:

Dr. Chen is the head of the Ocular Tissue Engineering Laboratory at the Lions Eye Institute in Perth, Western Australia and is focused on the diagnosis and treatment of IRDs and macular degeneration. Dr. Chen has over 10 years of experience in clinical and translational research in the field of retinal disease diagnosis and treatment. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed journal articles and several book chapters.

He has previously served on the Board of Ophthalmic Research Institute of Australia and is a section editor for the journal, Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology. Additionally, he serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of PYC Therapeutics. He earned his BM and MBBS from the University of Western Australia and his PhD in cell transplantation for the treatment of retinal diseases from University College London after completing a double fellowship training in surgical and medical retina at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London.

Judy Lieberman

MD, PhD

Scientific Advisory

About Judy:

Judy Lieberman, MD, Ph.D, holds a Chair in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, is Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and is Chair of the Executive Committee of Immunology at Harvard Medical School. She earned a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Rockefeller University and worked as a theoretical physicist at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and Fermilab, received an M.D. from Harvard and MIT, did a postdoctoral fellowship in immunology in the Cancer Center at MIT and worked as hematologist/oncologist at Tufts Medical Center.

Her laboratory has been in the forefront of developing RNAi-based therapeutics and using RNAi for genome-wide screening. They were the first to show that siRNAs could be used to treat disease in vivo and to develop cell-targeted RNAs.

The Lieberman laboratory has developed strategies for cell-specific siRNAs that knockdown gene expression in vivo in T lymphocytes and cancer cells. They also investigate the role of microRNAs in regulating cell differentiation and cancer. This laboratory also studies cytotoxic T lymphocytes and their role in immune protection from infection and cancer.

Dr. Lieberman served as the Chair of the Medical Sciences section and on the Council of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences. She has received numerous awards for her research on vaccines, immunology and cancer. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Patrick Yu Wai Man

PhD, FRCPath, FRCOphth

Scientific Advisory

About Patrick Yu Wai Man:

Patrick Yu Wai Man is an academic neuro-ophthalmologist with a research interest in mitochondrial genetics and inherited eye diseases. He is a Professor in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge, where he leads the Cambridge Clinical Vision Lab, and is also affiliated with the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology as an Honorary Associate Professor.Dr. Yu Wai Man earned his PhD from Newcastle University, where his research was funded by a Medical Research Council (MRC) Research Training Fellowship (2007-2010). He then secured an MRC Clinician Scientist Fellowship (2012-2016) to establish his independent research group embedded within the Newcastle Wellcome Trust Centre for Mitochondrial Research.

The Cambridge Clinical Vision Lab was organized as a cross-cutting facility to support advanced
therapeutics within the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Cambridge
Biomedical Research Centre. In parallel, Dr. Yu Wai Man has established a strong collaborative link with the NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre to fast track the development of effective therapies for inherited optic neuropathies, including novel gene therapy approaches.

Dr. Yu Wai Man is the author of over 150 peer-reviewed scientific publications in the field of neuro-ophthalmology, genetics and mitochondrial diseases. His research is currently focused on dissecting the disease mechanisms leading to progressive retinal ganglion cell loss in inherited optic neuropathies by using a combination of patient tissues, induced pluripotent stem cells and animal models. Other research interests include exploring disease biomarkers and the clinical applicability of high-resolution structural and functional ocular imaging.

In addition to his academic roles, Dr. Yu Wai Man contributes to the clinical service of patients with mitochondrial disease at Addenbrooke’s Hospital (Cambridge) and he runs a dedicated optic nerve genetics clinic at Moorfields Eye Hospital (London).

Mike Cheetham

PhD

About Mike:

Mike Cheetham is a Professor of Molecular Cell Biology at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology (IoO).
He did a degree in genetics in Swansea before training in immunology then molecular biology. Mike
completed his PhD on Alzheimer’s disease at the Institute of Psychiatry, London and worked on
other forms of dementia before moving to the IoO as a lecturer in 1995 when he started working on
inherited retinal dystrophy. He was promoted to Professor in 2005. The research in the Cheetham
lab is now focused on the cell biology of protein homeostasis (proteostasis) in the nervous system
and understanding the molecular basis of inherited retinal dystrophy and developing therapies. The
lab uses a combination of model systems, including animal and stem cell models, to probe disease
mechanisms and has pioneered the use of 3D retinal organoids to model human genetic disease. For
example, they have used this technology recently to help develop an antisense therapy for LCA10,
which is now in a Phase 3 clinical trial.

David Birch

PhD

About David:

Dr. Birch is the Scientific Director of the Retina Foundation of the Southwest, where he is also the Director of the Rose-Silverthorne Retinal Degenerations Laboratory. Dr. Birch has authored or co-authored over 300 scientific articles and is a recipient of the Visionary Award and the Board of Directors Award from the Foundation Fighting Blindness.

Dr. Birch is on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Foundation Fighting Blindness and has involvement in
clinical trials across multiple inherited retinal diseases. He earned his BA from the University of California, Riverside and his PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Florida Medical School and the Massachusetts Eye
and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School.

Fred Chen

MD, PhD

About Fred:

Dr. Chen is the head of the Ocular Tissue Engineering Laboratory at the Lions Eye Institute in Perth, Western Australia and is focused on the diagnosis and treatment of IRDs and macular degeneration. Dr. Chen has over 10 years of experience in clinical and translational research in the field of retinal disease diagnosis and treatment. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed journal articles and several book chapters.

He has previously served on the Board of Ophthalmic Research Institute of Australia and is a section editor for the journal, Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology. Additionally, he serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of PYC Therapeutics. He earned his BM and MBBS from the University of Western Australia and his PhD in cell transplantation for the treatment of retinal diseases from University College London after completing a double fellowship training in surgical and medical retina at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London.

Jacque Duncan

MD

About Jacque:

Dr. Duncan is an ophthalmologist who specializes in treating retinal degenerative diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration, and a Professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where she is Vice Chair for Clinical Trials and Academic Director of the Retina Service. In her research, Dr. Duncan is studying treatments to preserve vision and devices to stimulate visual perception. She has received research funding from the National Eye Institute, Foundation Fighting Blindness, the US Food and Drug Administration Office of Orphan Products Development, Research to Prevent Blindness, the Karl Kirchgessner Foundation, Hope for Vision and the American Geriatrics Society, and she received a Career Development Award from the Foundation Fighting Blindness.

Dr. Duncan earned her BS at Stanford University and MD at UCSF School of Medicine, where she also completed internship and ophthalmology residency. She then completed a medical retina fellowship at the Penn Medicine Scheie Eye Institute, where she focused on patients with age-related macular degeneration and inherited retinal degeneration. She has served as Chair of the Foundation Fighting Blindness Scientific Advisory Board since 2015, and Chair of the Executive Committee of the Foundation Fighting Blindness Consortium.

Mark Pennesi

MD, PhD

About Mark:

Dr. Pennesi is Professor of Ophthalmology at Oregon Health & Science University’s (OHSU) School of Medicine. He also holds the Kenneth C. Swan Endowed Professorship and is the Chief of the Ophthalmic Genetics Division at the Casey Eye Institute at OHSU.  His research is focused on developing novel therapeutic regimens for inherited retinal diseases. He is the PI or co-PI on numerous clinical trials, including for X-linked retinitis pigmentosa. In addition, he is an investigator for antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapies, including for RHO autosomal dominant RP. He is a principal investigator on the Allergan Brilliance study, where the first patient was treating with gene editing from CEP290-related retinopathy.

In 2011, Dr. Pennesi received the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)/Alcon Early Career Clinician-Scientist Research Award. He was awarded the Alcon Young Investigator Award in 2014 and a Residency Teaching Award in 2015. Dr. Pennesi has also received Career Development Awards from Research to Prevent Blindness and Foundation Fighting Blindness. Dr. Pennesi also serves as a scientific and clinical consultant and is on advisory boards at several organizations. He has been elected to the Macula Society and Retina Society. Dr. Pennesi earned his MD and PhD from the Baylor College of Medicine and his BS from the University of Pennsylvania.

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