GAINESVILLE, Fla., July 1, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq:AGTC), a clinical stage biotechnology company developing adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapies for the treatment of rare eye diseases, today announced the appointment of Matthew Feinsod, MD, to the position of Product Development Officer.
Dr. Feinsod is a board-certified ophthalmologist with extensive corporate and regulatory expertise in the development of novel therapies for ophthalmic diseases. In his previous positions he has played key roles in corporate finance, developing and implementing clinical and regulatory strategy, due diligence, and licensing. He has been a founder in several companies and holds multiple patents in the field of ophthalmology. Dr. Feinsod expects to continue his active practice in ophthalmology during his employment by AGTC.
"As a practicing ophthalmologist and serial entrepreneur, Matt brings a unique perspective to the development of novel therapies for eye diseases with unmet needs, " said Sue Washer, President and Chief Executive Officer of AGTC. "He has a deep appreciation for how these diseases impact patients and a track record of success in innovating new ways to treat those diseases. His experience working for and interacting with the FDA and his participation in successfully bringing a novel therapy to market will be of tremendous value to AGTC as we advance multiple product development candidates into the clinic. We are pleased to welcome him to the AGTC team."
Most recently, Dr. Feinsod was founder and Chief Medical Officer of Imagen Biotech, a venture-backed company dedicated to developing breakthrough ophthalmology treatments, where he led all company activities. Prior to Imagen, Dr. Feinsod was SVP of Strategy and Product Development at Eyetech Pharmaceuticals where he spent five years in a variety of functions helping to develop and launch Macugen and several preclinical programs, including playing a key role in preparing for the Macugen FDA Advisory Committee hearing. Previously, Dr. Feinsod served as medical officer for the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Division of Anti-inflammatory, Analgesic and Ophthalmologic Drug Products, where he was a primary reviewer for both IND and NDA ophthalmology regulatory applications. Concurrently, he held a clinical trials/drug development fellowship position in George Washington University's Department of Ophthalmology and served on the hospital's Institutional Review Board. He received his undergraduate degree from the Wharton School of Business and his MD from the George Washington University School of Medicine and completed his residency at the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital.
About AGTC
AGTC is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that uses its proprietary gene therapy platform to develop products designed to transform the lives of patients with severe inherited orphan diseases in ophthalmology. AGTC's lead product candidates, which are each in the preclinical stage, focus on X-linked retinoschisis, achromatopsia and X-linked retinitis pigmentosa, which are rare diseases of the eye, caused by mutations in single genes, that significantly affect visual function and currently lack effective medical treatments. For additional information visit www.agtc.com
Forward Looking Statements
Statements in this press release regarding Applied Genetics Technology Corporation that do not relate to historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, information concerning possible or assumed future results of operations, business strategies and operations, preclinical and clinical product development and regulatory progress, financing plans, potential growth opportunities, potential market opportunities and the effects of competition, and can be identified by terms such as "anticipates," "believes," "could," "seeks," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "may," "plans," "potential," "predicts," "projects," "should," "will," "would" or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and are only predictions, and actual future events and results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to those risks and uncertainties that are discussed under "Risk Factors" in our registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-193309), as amended, and our periodic and current reports filed with the SEC. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Also, forward-looking statements represent management's plans, estimates, assumptions and beliefs only as of the date of this release. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.