MONTRÉAL and BOSTON, /CNW/ – enGene Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel non-viral vector gene therapies to provide oral delivery of a wide range of protein drugs, including the Gene Pill™ , today announced the appointment of Jason D. Hanson as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director. Mr. Hanson will succeed enGene co-founder Anthony Cheung, Ph.D., who will assume the role of Chief Technology Officer at the company.
“We are excited to welcome an executive with Jason’s depth of industry leadership to the enGene team,” said Dr. Richard Glickman, Chairman of enGene’s Board of Directors. “He has the ideal set of experiences to guide enGene through its transition to a clinical stage therapeutics company developing its own proprietary products, as well as products in collaboration with its pharmaceutical firm partners.”
Mr. Hanson most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Ohana Biosciences, a biotechnology company based in Cambridge, MA. Mr. Hanson previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for NuVasive, Inc. and as Corporate Vice President of General Electric Company and member of the senior executive team of GE Healthcare, a $20-plus billion dollar global pharmaceutical, medical device and healthcare services business. At GE Healthcare he had global business responsibilities for a range of portfolio management, corporate development, legal, compliance, and government relations activities. Prior to joining GE Healthcare, Mr. Hanson served as Company Group Chairman and Executive Vice President at Valeant Pharmaceuticals with responsibility for the company’s Consumer, Ophthalmology, Latin American and Dental businesses, as well as the manufacturing and supply chain, R&D, regulatory and medical affairs teams. Previously, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation, where he led R&D and other critical functions and helped build the pre-eminent pipeline of prescription dermatology and aesthetic medicine products prior to its acquisition by Valeant for $2.6 billion. Mr. Hanson received a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a law degree from Duke UniversitySchool of Law.
“I am thrilled to lead enGene into its new phase of growth,” said Mr. Hanson. “The company has made groundbreaking advancements to its gene delivery platform that will transform the way we treat many diseases. Our vision is to make protein therapies universally available and curative for the improvement of patient’s lives.”
“We are fortunate to have recruited someone with Jason’s experience and talent and I really look forward to working with Jason as enGene enters this exciting new stage of development,” said Dr. Cheung of enGene. “I am extremely proud that the promise of our innovative gene delivery platform and the milestones our team has accomplished to date have attracted an industry veteran of Jason’s caliber to lead enGene.”
About enGene Inc.
enGene Inc. is a biotechnology company developing a proprietary gene therapy platform for localized delivery of proteins to mucosal cells lining the gut, and other tissues of the body, for the treatment of a range of diseases. enGene has developed a unique gut-optimized gene delivery formulation into an orally available Gene Pill™ to provide oral delivery of a wide range of protein drugs. Oral gene delivery has the potential to be a revolutionary improvement over current protein-drug delivery methods that involve injections and represent risks of side effects, high cost, poor patient compliance and systemic problems due to the need to administer higher doses. enGene’s investors include Forbion, Lumira Ventures, Fonds de solidarité FTQ, Pharmstandard International S.A., and Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC Inc.
SOURCE enGene
For further information: Jason Hanson, President and CEO, enGene Inc., jhanson@engeneinc.com, Tel: 514-332-4888 Ext. 100