PhD, is the Co-Founder and CEO of the CTNNB1 Foundation, a non-profit research organisation leading the development of the first AAV9-based gene therapy for CTNNB1 syndrome, a rare neurodevelopmental disorder caused by pathogenic variants in CTNNB1. Her work encompasses translational…
Prof. Leszek Lisowski, PhD MBA is a world-leading expert in vectorology with over 20 years of experience in developing and manufacturing viral vectors. He received his PhD from Cornell University / Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York and then continued his scientific career as a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA under the mentorship of Prof. Mark A Kay. After completing his postdoctoral training, he was recruited by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, CA where he ran the Gene Transfer, Targeting and Therapeutics Facility (GT3), and while there, he also completed his MBA training at UC San Diego Rady School of Management. In 2015 he was recruited by Children’s Medical Research Institute / The University of Sydney, where he established his independent research program, the Translational Vectorology Research Unit, and Vector and Genome Engineering Facility (VGEF) dedicated to providing vector and gene editing tools in support of research programs in Australia and abroad.
He developed the first bioengineering AAV to enter clinical studies, which is now in a number of academic and commercial clinical studies. Building on his dual PhD/MBA education, he co-founded a rare disease gene therapy company LogicBio Therapeutics. More recently he also established NionyxBio and RetViria Therapeutics, gene therapy companies, which focus on the unmet need in vector-based gene therapies.
He is a Professor at The University of Sydney, Australia, holds the position of Unit Head at Children’s Medical Research Institute, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia and visiting Professor position at Military Institute of Medicine-National Research Institute, Warsaw, Poland.
In addition to a robust program in AAV bioengineering, Leszek’s lab is also directly involved in development and translation of AAV-based gene therapies for rare genetic disorders. To this end, more recently Leszek was instrumental in securing over $135 million in funding from NSW Government to establish, and holds the role of Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of, Australian first clinical grade Viral Vector Manufacturing Facility (VVMF).
