iVexSol Announces Expansion of Strategic Advisory Board
Kenneth Locke and Ian Smith, industry leaders in Cell and Gene Therapy, join as iVexSol advisors
LEXINGTON, MA, MAY 16, 2023 – iVexSol Inc., a next-generation lentiviral vector manufacturing company, today announced the expansion of the company’s Strategic Advisory Board.
Two cell and gene therapy industry leaders, Kenneth Locke and Ian Smith, are joining the Strategic Advisory Board in support of iVexSol’s work to transform vector production and solve the lentiviral vector shortages that are severely restricting patient access to CAR-T cell therapies and other advanced therapeutics.
Ken currently serves as Vice President, Manufacturing and Supply Chain at Carisma Therapeutics. Prior to joining Carisma, Ken served as Global Head of Cell Therapy External Manufacturing and Strategic Sourcing at Bristol Myers Squibb (formerly Celgene/Juno Therapeutics) where he was responsible for all external manufacturing operations for plasmid, viral vector and cell processing. Prior to BMS, Ken was Executive Director at Novartis supporting global materials and services sourcing for all Technical R&D as well as Cell and Gene Therapies. He has more than 25 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology experience, including discovery, laboratory automation, sourcing/contracting strategy, supply chain and manufacturing.
Ian is a biotechnology leader with more than 25 years of strategic leadership, corporate and business development, finance and operations experience. He serves as a Senior Advisor to Bain Capital Life Sciences, Executive Chair of Solid Biosciences (Nasdaq: SLDB, gene therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy), a member of the Board of Directors of Foghorn Therapeutics (Nasdaq: FHTX), a member of the Board of Alkeus Pharmaceuticals and, formerly Executive Chair of Viacyte Inc. (Cell therapy for Type 1 Diabetes, acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals). He also provides executive advisory services to multiple Biotech companies. Prior to this, Ian was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., as well as Chief Financial Officer between 2001 and 2019.
As members of iVexSol’s Strategic Advisory Board, Ken and Ian will support the company’s mission to use its transformative Intelligent Vector SolutionsÒ to dramatically boost the production capacity of lentiviral vectors, critical raw materials currently limiting patient access to life-saving cell and gene treatments.
“The addition of Ken and Ian to iVexSol’s Strategic Advisory Board provides both a depth and breadth of knowledge, and importantly, practical perspectives on how our vector technology will be implemented in a variety of cell and gene therapy supply chains,” said CEO and Co-founder Dr. Rodney Rietze. “Their real-world experience in addressing challenges related to the unprecedented growth and efficacy of these novel medicines makes them an invaluable complement to our team of advisors.”
“I am very excited to be advising iVexSol and helping to maximize the impact of its proprietary viral vector manufacturing technology,” said Ken Locke. “I have experienced firsthand the many challenges that the industry faces in keeping up with increased demand for cell and gene therapies, and I strongly believe that iVexSol has the technology to provide transformative change for vector capacity challenges.”
“Innovators such as iVexSol are essential for enabling scale for cell and gene therapies,” said Ian Smith. “When it comes to vector capacity, iVexSol has a highly innovative proprietary process that reduces complexity and cost of lentiviral vector production and that may change the access to cell and gene therapies.”
Ken and Ian will serve on the Strategic Advisory Board alongside veteran industry leaders Joe Gentile and Dr. Michael Singer. To learn more about the iVexSol Strategic Advisory Board, please visit ivexsol.com/about-us.
About iVexSol
iVexSol, Inc. is a next-generation lentiviral vector manufacturing company that transforms the way these essential gene-delivery vehicles are made. Our solution is founded on a proprietary, advanced, stable lentiviral vector production process. iVexSol’s Intelligent Manufacturing® greatly reduces the complexity, cost, and development time for these critical components, solving lentiviral vector capacity and accelerating greater access to life-changing cell and gene therapies. For more information, please visit www.ivexsol.com.
Media Contact:
Tim Walsh
for iVexSol
617.512.1641
timw@walshgroupmarketing.com
