Management Team
AVT's Management Team at the 2004 Maryland Incubator Company of the Year Award Ceremony. From left to right, Tianci Luo, Vice President, Research, Sheila Connelly, Vice President, Development, and Michael Kaleko, Chief Scientific Officer.
Michael Kaleko, M.D., Ph.D. Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Kaleko is an inventor on 4 issued patents as well as 16 pending patent applications. He is an author on 60 peer-reviewed publications, has been an invited speaker at more than 30 international scientific conferences, and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of Intronn, Inc. in Rockville, MD. Finally, Dr. Kaleko is a co-inventor of the AVT proprietary gene transfer technology.
Dr. Kaleko received a Ph.D. and M.D. in 1983 from Brown University in Providence, RI. He completed Residency training in Internal Medicine in 1986 at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN and is board certified in Internal Medicine. From 1986-1991, Dr. Kaleko trained in Endocrinology at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. Also during this period, Dr. Kaleko worked with Dr. Dusty Miller at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center where he performed pioneering work in the field of gene therapy. In 1991, Dr. Kaleko joined Genetic Therapy, Inc., a Novartis Company. During his 11-year tenure, Dr. Kaleko directed projects in both vector platform technologies as well as preclinical applications. In 2000, he was promoted to a Director position in Research responsible for a unit of 34 scientists.
In December 2002, Dr. Kaleko left Genetic Therapy, Inc. to pursue the more focused goal of developing products to treat ocular diseases.
Sheila Connelly, Ph.D. Vice President, Development
Dr. Connelly received her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Columbia University in New York City. In 1993, Dr. Connelly joined Genetic Therapy, Inc. During her 9 year tenure, Dr. Connelly was responsible for a group of 13 employees working on both vector platform technologies and clinical applications. She worked in several diverse areas including genetic and metabolic diseases (hemophilia and diabetes), oncology, and ocular disease.
In 2000, Dr. Connelly received the Novartis Business Excellence Award for her contribution to a highly integrated diabetes program. In 2002, she was chosen to head the Ocular Therapy Program. Dr. Connelly is an inventor on 4 issued patents and 6 pending patent applications. She has authored more than 40 publications, and has been an invited speaker at more than 15 international scientific conferences.
Dr. Connelly left Genetic Therapy, Inc. in December 2002 to focus exclusively on the treatment of ocular disease. She brings a strong background in molecular biology, virology, and animal modeling with a focus on disease applications. Dr. Connelly has extensive experience in biotechnology and large pharma, and a broad knowledge of translational medicine, and intellectual property.
Tianci Luo, Ph.D. Vice President, Research
In 1998, Dr. Luo was recruited to Genetic Therapy, Inc. as a Senior Scientist to develop vector technology for basic research and clinical application. In 2000, he was advanced to the position of Program Head with the goal of developing a proprietary gene transfer vector. His team of 10 scientists rapidly developed a novel lentiviral vector with outstanding efficacy and safety profiles. Together with collaborators, Dr. Luo demonstrated the vector’s utility for clinical application in the fields of ophthalmology and neurology.
In December 2002, Dr. Luo left Genetic Therapy, Inc. to participate in the founding of Advanced Vision Therapies, Inc. and pursue the application of the vector system to the treatment of ocular diseases. Dr. Luo is an author of 20 peer-reviewed publications and is a co-inventor of the AVT proprietary gene transfer technology.
Dr. Tianci Luo received his Ph.D. from the Division of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at Austin in 1994. His work on the development of a lentivirus-based gene transfer system and on human immunodeficiency virus replication resulted in more than 15 peer-reviewed publications.
Scientific Advisory Board and Collaborations
The AVT SAB is composed of major thought leaders in ocular gene therapy and vector technologies. These include:
- Dr. Peter Campochiaro, the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Professor of Ophthalmology & Neuroscience at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, is a leading expert in ocular therapeutics and angiogenesis.
- Dr. Jean Bennett, Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania, is a leader in the field of ocular gene therapy with expertise in the treatment of inherited and acquired diseases.
- Dr. Robert Colman, Director of the Sol Sherry Thrombosis Research Center, Chief of the Division of Hematology, the Sol Sherry Professor of Medicine, and Professor of Physiology, Microbiology and Immunology at Temple University, is the inventor of the Kininostatin technology.
- Dr. Garry Nolan, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University, is an expert in the field of vector development.
AVT is pursuing the development of its first two products through academic collaborations with leaders in the field including Drs. Campochiaro, Colman, and Bennett as well as Drs. Jose Sahel and Thierry Leveillard, the inventors of the RdCVF technology.
AVT also works closely with the Foundation Fighting Blindness, which is dedicated to finding cures for retinal diseases.