We’re a gene editing company committed to cures

Perry Karsen brings decades of proven executive leadership and board experience to the board of directors at Graphite Bio. Mr. Karsen served as the chief executive officer of the Celgene Cellular Therapeutics division of Celgene Corporation and as executive vice president and chief operations officer of Celgene Corporation. Previously, he was president and CEO of Pearl Therapeutics, Inc, a privately held biotechnology company subsequently acquired by AstraZeneca. He also has held executive positions at Human Genome Sciences, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company subsequently acquired by GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Genentech, Inc, and Abbott Laboratories. Currently, Mr. Karsen is board chair of Jounce Therapeutics, executive chair of Nitrome Biosciences, and on the board of ESCAPE Bio. Mr. Karsen has also served on the Board of Intellia Therapeutics through 2020. He also serves on the Gladstone Foundation Board. In 2019, Mr. Karsen was appointed as a fellow in the Stanford University Distinguished Careers Institute.

Perry Karsen brings decades of proven executive leadership and board experience to the board of directors at Graphite Bio. Mr. Karsen served as the chief executive officer of the Celgene Cellular Therapeutics division of Celgene Corporation and as executive vice president and chief operations officer of Celgene Corporation. Previously, he was president and CEO of Pearl Therapeutics, Inc, a privately held biotechnology company subsequently acquired by AstraZeneca. He also has held executive positions at Human Genome Sciences, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company subsequently acquired by GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Genentech, Inc, and Abbott Laboratories. Currently, Mr. Karsen is board chair of Jounce Therapeutics, executive chair of Nitrome Biosciences, and on the board of ESCAPE Bio. Mr. Karsen has also served on the Board of Intellia Therapeutics through 2020. He also serves on the Gladstone Foundation Board. In 2019, Mr. Karsen was appointed as a fellow in the Stanford University Distinguished Careers Institute.

Abe Bassan has extensive experience in the gene therapy arena as an operator and investor. He currently is a vice president at Samsara BioCapital. Mr. Bassan previously served as director of program biology at Revolution Medicines, where he co-led the initial stages of the company’s 4EBP1/mTORC1 cancer program. Prior to that, he was associate director of program development at bluebird bio, where he was the project manager for the company’s beta-thalassemia, sickle cell anemia, and ALD gene therapy programs. Earlier in his career, Mr. Bassan was an associate at Third Rock Ventures, where he played a leading role in the firm’s investment in bluebird bio, as well as the ideation of Blueprint Medicines, a precision medicine oncology company. Mr. Bassan was also the founder of Aurora Medical, a molecular diagnostics testing services company.

Dr. Jerel Davis brings a distinguished track record as an investor and advisor to his role as a board member of Graphite Bio, with proven expertise in company creation, R&D alliances, and corporate partnerships. He currently serves as managing director of Versant Ventures. During his 9-year tenure at Versant, Dr. Davis has helped propel the growth strategies of a multitude of the firm’s portfolio companies, including BlueRock Therapeutics, CRISPR Therapeutics, Repare Therapeutics, Chinook Therapeutics, Tentarix Biotherapeutics, Turnstone Biologics, Ventus Therapeutics, and several others. Prior to joining Versant, Dr. Davis was an associate principal at McKinsey & Company, where he advised a broad range of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and molecular diagnostics companies. He has worked in a number of healthcare markets globally, including the US, Canada, Europe, China, Russia, and India.

Dr. Kristen Hege is a renowned physician-scientist and a pioneer in advancing cell therapies through clinical development to regulatory approval. She currently serves as senior vice president, early clinical development, hematology/oncology and cell therapy at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), where her team is responsible for advancing the pipeline from first-in-human studies to clinical proof-of-concept. Notably, Dr. Hege led the development of Abecma (idecabtagene vicleucel; ide-cel), the first BCMA-directed CAR T cell immunotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, from product concept to approval in partnership with bluebird bio. Prior to BMS, Dr. Hege held multiple executive roles at several biotech companies, including Celgene, Cell Genesys, Cellerant Therapeutics, and Theraclone Sciences. Dr. Hege, a hematologist-oncologist, is also a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California (UCSF), San Francisco, where she continues to manage patients with benign and malignant blood disorders. Dr. Hege also serves on the board of directors of Mersana Therapeutics and was elected to the board of directors for the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) for a 3-year term from 2016-2019.

Joe Jimenez is the former chief executive officer of Novartis, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. Mr. Jimenez joined Novartis in 2007 to lead the pharmaceuticals division and was named CEO in 2010. He navigated the company through a period of change following patent expirations of its 2 largest products. Under his stewardship, Novartis developed one of the largest pipelines of self-originated drugs in the industry, driven by a strong commitment to research and development. Currently, Mr. Jimenez is co-founder and managing director of Aditum Bio, an investment firm focused on developing biotechnology assets that will benefit patients. He also serves as a board member of General Motors Company and The Proctor & Gamble Company.

Dr. Josh Lehrer is the chief executive officer at Graphite Bio. In this role, Dr. Lehrer bridges his clinical background as a practicing physician with decades of experience at global biopharmaceutical companies leading businesses and high-functioning teams across all stages of drug development. Previously, Dr. Lehrer served as chief medical officer at Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT), where he led the innovative clinical development strategy for sickle cell disease treatment Oxbryta^® (voxelotor) from pre-IND stages through approval and commercial launch, including playing an integral role in raising over $1 billion to fund the product’s development and launch. Dr. Lehrer has also served in leadership roles at Genentech in clinical development and business development, as well as attending physician roles at Stanford University Medical Center and the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Health System.

Dr. Matthew Porteus is an academic founder of Graphite Bio and a pioneer in the field of gene editing. Currently, he is a professor of pediatrics and stem cell transplantation and the co-director of the Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine at Stanford University. His work in gene editing spans more than 2 decades, during which he was an academic founder of CRISPR Therapeutics and an advisor to several other gene editing companies, as well as the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute on Sickle Cell Disease. As a trained pediatric hematologist, Dr. Porteus now cares for children who are on the Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant service.

Dr. Carlo Rizzuto is a seasoned biopharmaceutical business executive and investor with over 2 decades of diverse leadership experience. He currently is a partner at Versant Ventures based in New York and has played an instrumental role in launching and growing multiple companies, including Pandion Therapeutics, Repare Therapeutics, Century Therapeutics, and Jnana Therapeutics, among others. Earlier in his career, he led global product development teams at Novartis AG and was an associate principal with McKinsey & Company, advising US and European clients in the pharmaceutical, payor, and provider sectors.

Smital Shah brings proven executive leadership expertise to her role as a board member of Graphite Bio, including over 2 decades of senior management experience in the biopharma and investment banking industries. She currently serves as chief business and financial officer of ProQR Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on rare genetic diseases. Previously, Ms. Shah managed the multi billion-dollar debt, cash, and investment portfolios of Gilead Sciences. Her proven management and leadership experience in the biopharma industry is augmented by her earlier career in investment banking, where she has particular expertise in financial strategy, capital markets, and business development. Prior to Gilead, Ms. Shah spent several years in investment banking at Leerink Partners and JP Morgan focused on the biotech sector. Earlier in her career, she held various research and development positions at Johnson & Johnson. Ms. Shah is a board member and chair of the audit committee at Pliant Therapeutics.

Dr. Jo Viney brings a distinguished track record in drug discovery and development to the board of directors at Graphite Bio. She currently serves as president, chief scientific officer, and co-founder of Pandion Therapeutics, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. Prior to founding Pandion, Dr. Viney served most recently as senior vice president, drug discovery, at Biogen. Throughout her career, Dr. Viney has been an advocate for workplace inclusiveness. From 2015–2020, she served on the board of WEST, a nonprofit organization supporting early to mid-career women, and was WEST’s president for the 2017–2018 term. Dr. Viney has maintained longstanding memberships with the Society for Mucosal Immunology (SMI) and the American Association of Immunologists (AAI). She has served numerous terms on the SMI Board and was president from 2011–2013. In 2020, Dr. Viney was chosen as one of FiercePharma’s Fiercest Women in Life Sciences. Dr. Viney is also a member of the board of directors for Finch Therapeutics and Harpoon Therapeutics, and she serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for HotSpot Therapeutics.

Dr. Maria Grazia Roncarolo is one of the world’s foremost experts in gene therapy and one of Graphite Bio’s academic founders. She is recognized globally for her leadership in translating scientific discoveries in genetic diseases and regenerative medicine into novel patient therapies, including the world’s first ex vivo gene therapy. The George D. Smith Professor in Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Professor of Pediatrics and of Medicine at Stanford University, Dr. Roncarolo established the Stanford Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine to cure patients with currently incurable diseases through the development of innovative stem cell and gene-based therapies. During her earlier tenure as director of the Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy at the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan, Dr. Roncarolo developed novel approaches in gene therapy. Her work at the institute led to the discovery of ex vivo gene therapies for genetic diseases of the immune system, including ADA-SCID and WASP, and metabolic diseases such as metachromatic leukodystrophy. The landmark stem cell gene therapy treatment for ADA-SCID was the world’s first to be approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), under the brand name Strimvelis^®, in May 2016.

Dr. Maria Grazia Roncarolo is one of the world’s foremost experts in gene therapy and one of Graphite Bio’s academic founders. She is recognized globally for her leadership in translating scientific discoveries in genetic diseases and regenerative medicine into novel patient therapies, including the world’s first ex vivo gene therapy. The George D. Smith Professor in Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Professor of Pediatrics and of Medicine at Stanford University, Dr. Roncarolo established the Stanford Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine to cure patients with currently incurable diseases through the development of innovative stem cell and gene-based therapies. During her earlier tenure as director of the Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy at the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan, Dr. Roncarolo developed novel approaches in gene therapy. Her work at the institute led to the discovery of ex vivo gene therapies for genetic diseases of the immune system, including ADA-SCID and WASP, and metabolic diseases such as metachromatic leukodystrophy. The landmark stem cell gene therapy treatment for ADA-SCID was the world’s first to be approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), under the brand name Strimvelis^®, in May 2016.

Prof. John Dick is a Canadian researcher in stem cell biology and senior scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and McEwen Stem Cell Institute, University Health Network, and professor of molecular genetics at the University of Toronto. He is recognized for identifying and characterizing normal and leukemia human hematopoietic stem cells. His lab provided direct evidence for the cancer stem cell hypothesis, transforming views of the origin and nature of cancer and laying the foundation for new approaches to cancer therapy. In recognition of his seminal contributions to the fields of molecular hematology, stem cell biology, and oncology, he was elected as a foreign member of the National Academy of Medicine (USA) and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada; the Royal Society of London, UK; and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy. He has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Dameshek Prize, Thomas Prize, and Mentor Award from the American Society of Hematology; the Clowes Memorial Award and the AACR-Pezcoller Prize from AACR and the Keio Medical Science Prize.

Dr. Natalia Gomez-Ospina has dual appointments in the Divisions of Medical Genetics and Stem Cell Transplantation and is a faculty member at the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. She also leads the Program for Inherited Metabolic Disorders at Stanford, which brings together basic scientists and clinicians to facilitate the development of therapies for metabolic diseases. A physician-scientist and medical geneticist, Dr. Gomez-Ospina is conducting research to develop safer, more effective therapies for lysosomal storage disorders. Her clinical and research interests bridge genetics and transplantation. She established an adaptable platform for treating lysosomal enzyme deficiencies and performed first-of-its-kind preclinical studies to support the clinical development of autologous transplantation of genome-edited cells to treat patients with mucopolysaccharidosis type I (Hurler syndrome) and Gaucher disease. Dr. Gomez-Ospina led the discovery and characterization of genetic syndromes, including the infantile cholestasis syndrome caused by mutations in the bile acid receptor. She is the lead author of research published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Cell, Nature Communications, and the American Journal of Medical Genetics. She earned an M.D. and a Ph.D. in chemical and systems biology from Stanford University School of Medicine.

Dr. Scot Wolfe is a professor in the Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology (MCCB) at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. His research is focused on genome editing systems and protein-DNA interactions. His group is developing improved tools for targeted genome modification and gene regulation, with the goal of increasing their precision and effectiveness for therapeutic translation. This research has spanned developing a variety of improved CRISPR-based genome editing systems and new methods for engineering the DNA-binding specificity of zinc finger proteins. His team is focused on the therapeutic translation of their improved genome editing and gene regulation systems to specific disease applications, such as sickle cell disease, beta-thalassemia, various forms of muscular dystrophy, and Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome. He has published more than 65 research articles in peer-reviewed journals. He earned a Ph.D. at Harvard University and completed his postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dr. Matthew Porteus’ visionary gene editing research led to the formation of Graphite Bio and our mission to develop best-in-disease therapies for patients with serious genetic disorders. Professor of Pediatrics and Stem Cell Transplantation and the Co-Director of Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine at Stanford University, Dr. Porteus is considered to be one of the scientific pioneers and founders of the field of genome editing. At his renowned Stanford Lab, he was first to demonstrate that gene correction could be achieved in human cells at frequencies that were high enough to potentially cure patients. His research is now the gold standard in gene editing, blazing the trail for medical innovation in a field that holds bold promise for addressing the underlying causes of diseases in order to save lives. In addition to his role as a scientific advisor, Dr. Porteus is a member of Graphite Bio’s Board of Directors.

Dr. Matthew Porteus’ visionary gene editing research led to the formation of Graphite Bio and our mission to develop best-in-disease therapies for patients with serious genetic disorders. Professor of Pediatrics and Stem Cell Transplantation and the Co-Director of Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine at Stanford University, Dr. Porteus is considered to be one of the scientific pioneers and founders of the field of genome editing. At his renowned Stanford Lab, he was first to demonstrate that gene correction could be achieved in human cells at frequencies that were high enough to potentially cure patients. His research is now the gold standard in gene editing, blazing the trail for medical innovation in a field that holds bold promise for addressing the underlying causes of diseases in order to save lives. In addition to his role as a scientific advisor, Dr. Porteus is a member of Graphite Bio’s Board of Directors.

Dr. Maria Grazia Roncarolo is one of the world’s foremost experts in gene therapy and one of Graphite Bio’s academic founders. She is recognized globally for her leadership in translating scientific discoveries in genetic diseases and regenerative medicine into novel patient therapies, including the world’s first ex vivo gene therapy. The George D. Smith Professor in Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Professor of Pediatrics and of Medicine at Stanford University, Dr. Roncarolo established the Stanford Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine to cure patients with currently incurable diseases through the development of innovative stem cell and gene-based therapies. During her earlier tenure as director of the Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy at the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan, Dr. Roncarolo developed novel approaches in gene therapy. Her work at the Institute led to the discovery of ex vivo gene therapies for genetic diseases of the immune system, including ADA-SCID and WASP, and metabolic diseases, such as metachromatic leukodystrophy. The landmark stem cell gene therapy treatment for ADA-SCID was the world’s first to be approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) under the brand name Strimvelis^® in May 2016.

Dr. Daniel Dever is a co-founder and the head of discovery research at Graphite Bio. As a post-doctoral scholar working in the laboratory of Dr. Matthew Porteus at Stanford, Dr. Dever demonstrated an increase in site-specific DNA integration efficiency from less than 1% to greater than 50% across diverse genetic lesions in a wide range of cell types, including hard-to-edit hematopoietic stem cells. This work forms the foundation of our next-generation, high-efficiency DNA-targeted integration platform. Dr. Dever’s research has been published in an array of peer-reviewed journals, including Nature, Cell Stem Cell, Molecular Therapy, Nature Medicine, Nature Protocols, Nucleic Acids Research, and other high-impact journals.