Adverum Announces Appointment of Jon Williams, Ph.D., as Vice President, Clinical Affairs
01 July 2021 - 10:00PM
Adverum Biotechnologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADVM), a clinical-stage gene
therapy company targeting unmet medical needs in ocular and rare
diseases, today announced the appointment of Jon Williams, Ph.D.,
as vice president, clinical affairs, effective immediately. Dr.
Williams will provide scientific and technical expertise and
leadership across Adverum’s clinical development program for
ADVM-022, reporting to Julie Clark, M.D., chief medical officer.
“Jon is a dynamic scientist and prolific published researcher,
bringing 25 years of experience in clinical and preclinical drug
and medical device development and regulatory strategies to this
new position at Adverum,” said Julie Clark, M.D., chief medical
officer at Adverum Biotechnologies. “His comprehensive knowledge of
ocular diseases including angiogenic retinal disease, strategic
clinical trial design and execution across all phases of ophthalmic
product development will be valuable for our ADVM-022 clinical
development program and our pipeline.”
“Ocular gene therapy to treat retinal diseases is an exciting
field with the potential to transform the current standard of care
for patients,” said Dr. Williams. “Adverum is propelling this
therapeutic area forward in bold new ways and I am excited to join
the company and further its efforts in developing novel
therapies.”
Dr. Williams joins Adverum from Bausch Health Companies, where
he served as senior director, clinical affairs and was responsible
for leading clinical science and medical writing for ophthalmic
medical device projects. Previously, he worked at Aerie
Pharmaceuticals as director, clinical trial management and medical
strategy, and managed clinical protocol development and progress
leading to the New Drug Application (NDA) submission for
Rhopressa®. Prior to Aerie, Dr. Williams held the positions of
director, medical affairs and director, clinical affairs at Bausch
+ Lomb Incorporated. While there, he was clinical lead for Phase 3
and Phase 4 post-operative steroid treatment programs in adult and
pediatric patient populations undergoing cataract surgery. He also
served as director of clinical research at ISTA Pharmaceuticals
where he led a cross-functional clinical team effort that achieved
U.S. regulatory approval of Bepreve® and he wrote Phase 3 multisite
clinical protocols and NDA sections for XibromTM and BromdayTM.
Previous to that, he was instrumental in characterizing the
novel anti-angiogenic nature of Squalamine, a natural aminosterol
product, in several animal models of systemic or ocular disease
while executive director for biological research at Magainin
Pharmaceuticals.
Dr. Williams earned a Ph.D. in biophysics from the University of
California, San Francisco, and holds a Bachelor of Science in
physics, with honors, from Harvey Mudd College. In addition, he
completed an N.I.H. Public Health Services post-doctoral fellowship
in cancer biology in the Department of Pathology, Stanford
University Medical Center.
On July 1, 2021, the company granted Dr. Williams a stock option
to purchase 100,000 shares of Adverum’s common stock pursuant to
the inducement grant exception under Nasdaq Rule 5635(c)(4), as an
inducement that is material to his entering into employment with
Adverum. The option has a per share exercise price equal to the
closing sales price of Adverum’s common stock on the Nasdaq Stock
Market on the grant date, and will vest over four years, subject to
his continued service with Adverum.
About Adverum BiotechnologiesAdverum
Biotechnologies (Nasdaq: ADVM) is a clinical-stage gene therapy
company targeting unmet medical needs in serious ocular and rare
diseases. Adverum is advancing the clinical development of its
novel gene therapy candidate, ADVM-022, as a one-time, intravitreal
injection for the treatment of patients with wet age-related
macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema. For more
information, please visit www.adverum.com.
Forward-looking StatementsStatements contained
in this press release regarding the events or results that may
occur in the future are “forward-looking statements” within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Such statements include but are not limited to statements
regarding: the role in which Dr. Williams will serve and the
benefits that he is expected to bring to Adverum. Actual results
could differ materially from those anticipated in such
forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and
uncertainties. Risks and uncertainties facing Adverum are described
more fully in Adverum’s Form 10-Q filed with
the SEC on May 6, 2021 under the heading “Risk
Factors.” All forward-looking statements contained in this press
release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Adverum
undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect
events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on
which they were made.
Investor Relations Contacts
Amy Figueroa
Adverum Biotechnologies, Inc.
T: 650-823-2704
E: afigueroa@adverum.com
Media Contact
Andrea Cohen
Sam Brown Inc.
T: 917-209-7163
E: andreacohen@sambrown.com
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