Orchard Therapeutics, a leading commercial-stage biotech company dedicated to transforming the lives of patients with rare diseases through innovative gene therapies, today announced the appointment of Joanne Beck, Ph.D., to its board of directors. Dr. Beck is currently the executive vice president of pharmaceutical development and operations and a member of the executive committee at Celgene.

Mark Rothera, president and CEO of Orchard said, "We are thrilled to have Joanne join our board. Her extensive experience in pharmaceutical development, global manufacturing operations and quality will serve our company very well as we accelerate our plans to implement a global supply chain of transformative gene therapies."

Prior to Celgene, Dr. Beck was senior vice president of pharmaceutical development at Shire from 2012 to 2016. Before Shire, she held various leadership positions in Abbott’s global pharmaceutical operations and was the site head of Abbott Vascular Instruments GmbH. Earlier in her career, Dr. Beck held positions in process development at Genentech and Amgen. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lewis and Clark College and a Ph.D. from the University of Oregon Medical School.                                                                                                   

Dr. Beck commented, "I am pleased to be joining Orchard’s board of directors at such a pivotal time in the company’s development. I look forward to working with the board and leadership team as Orchard implements a global supply chain that delivers personalized gene therapies to patients."

 
About Orchard
Orchard Therapeutics is a leading commercial-stage biotech company dedicated to transforming the lives of patients with rare diseases through innovative gene therapies.

Evolved from over 20 years of academic research, Orchard has developed a unique expertise in the manufacturing, preclinical and clinical development of gene therapies for rare diseases. To date, more than 130 patients have been treated with autologous ex vivo gene therapy across five different disease areas, with evidence of sustained clinical effects up to 17 years post treatment in some patients. The company’s most advanced clinical program, OTL-101 for ADA-SCID (adenosine deaminase severe combined immunodeficiency), is expected to progress to a BLA (biological license application) with the FDA in 2018.

Orchard’s portfolio of autologous ex vivo gene therapy programs include Strimvelis, the first autologous ex vivo gene therapy approved by the EMA in 2016, three programs in advanced registrational studies in MLD (metachromatic leukodystrophy), WAS (Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome) and ADA-SCID (adenosine deaminase severe combined immunodeficiency), other clinical programs in X-CGD (X-linked chronic granulomatous disease) and beta-thalassemia, as well as an extensive preclinical pipeline.

The company is partnered with world-leading institutions in gene therapy, including University College London, Great Ormond Street Hospital, the University of Manchester and Central Manchester University Hospitals, the University of California Los Angeles, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy/Ospedale San Raffaele.

Orchard is privately held with offices in the UK and the US, including London, San Francisco and Boston. The company raised $110 million in a Series B in December 2017, was named a Fierce 15 Company by FierceBiotech in 2016 and was awarded a $19 million grant from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).

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