REGENXBIO Inc. (NASDAQ: RGNX) announced on Tuesday the appointment of Greg Ciongoli to its board of directors, effective immediately. The biotechnology company, which develops gene therapies for rare and retinal diseases, also disclosed the retirement of two independent directors.
Ciongoli, founder and managing partner of Adiumentum Capital Management, brings capital markets expertise to the board. He previously served as a partner at The Baupost Group for over 16 years, where he led investments across public and private companies. Ciongoli holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a bachelor's degree from Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs. He also serves as board chairman of Atara Biotherapeutics and as a board member at Zymeworks Inc.
The board changes coincide with REGENXBIO's transition phase, as noted by Curran Simpson, president and chief executive officer. "As REGENXBIO enters its next phase of growth, the Board has continued its strategic succession planning process to ensure the Company benefits from a complementary mix of scientific, clinical, commercial and capital markets expertise," Simpson stated in a press release.
The two outgoing directors, Jerry Karabelas and Jean Bennett, will retire from their roles. Karabelas served since 2015, while Bennett joined in 2021. Their departures follow recent pipeline developments at REGENXBIO, including collaborations with AbbVie on Surabgene lomparvovec for wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, and partnerships with Nippon Shinyaku on RGX-121 for MPS II and RGX-111 for MPS I. The company is also advancing RGX-202 for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
