PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Spark Therapeutics, a member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) and a fully integrated, commercial gene therapy company dedicated to challenging the inevitability of genetic disease, today announced the appointment of Gallia Levy, M.D., Ph.D., as chief medical officer. Dr. Levy will be responsible for strategic and operational leadership across all functions in the product development lifecycle, including setting the global development strategy for current and future pipeline programs.

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Gallia Levy to our growing gene therapy company striving to create a world where no life is limited by genetic disease, said Jeffrey D. Marrazzo, chief executive officer, Spark Therapeutics. Dr. Levys passion for hematology and gene therapy research is immediately evident and exactly the perspective needed to achieve our goal of unlocking the full potential of gene therapy. Especially during this pivotal time in hemophilia research, Dr. Levys deep understanding of rare blood disorders and the community will help accelerate our ability to deliver potentially transformative gene therapies for hemophilia, while progressing potential gene therapies for other genetic disease across our pipeline.

Dr. Levy joins Spark Therapeutics from Genentech, also a member of the Roche Group, where she served as the Vice President and Global Head of the Rare Blood Disorders franchise in Product Development. In this role, she was responsible for the clinical development of HEMLIBRA for hemophilia A as well as treatments for other rare blood disorders such as paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). She played a key role in the evolution of gene therapy as a new modality within the Roche Group.

Ive spent my career working to find new, innovative treatment approaches for patients affected by rare, life-altering disorders, and it is with great pride that I join the Spark team to help advance novel gene therapy programs and create next-generation solutions for patients, said Dr. Levy. Spark Therapeutics shares the same affinity for breaking barriers and putting the patient first, and I look forward to what we will achieve together.

Dr. Levy first joined Genentech in 2009, where she worked in both early and late-stage clinical development. She later moved to Portola Pharmaceuticals, where she led the clinical development program for hematology and oncology indications and returned to Genentech in 2014 to lead the hemophilia program.

Dr. Levy is board-certified in hematology and holds an M.D. and Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Michigan. She completed her residency in internal medicine at Stanford University and a fellowship in hematology and oncology at the University of California, San Francisco. She also holds an M.S. in of Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Paris, VI and a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

About Spark Therapeutics AtSpark Therapeutics, a fully integrated, commercial company committed to discovering, developing and delivering gene therapies, we challengethe inevitability of genetic diseases,includingblindness, hemophilia, lysosomal storage disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.We currently have four programs in clinical trials.At Spark, a member of the Roche Group, we see the path to a world where no life is limited by genetic disease. For more information, visit http://www.sparktx.com, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:Kevin Giordanokevin.giordano@sparktx.com(215) 294-9942

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Spark Therapeutics Deepens Drug Development Expertise in Hematology and Rare Disease with Appointment of Gallia G. Levy, MD, Ph.D., as Chief Medical...