A Revolutionary Approach to Gene Therapy

Raj Reddy is a biotechnology pioneer and the President and CEO of Canary Cure Therapeutics, a leading company at the forefront of developing RNA therapies for the treatment of metabolic diseases, obesity, and rare genetic disorders. With over 10 years of experience in leading and scaling biotech ventures, Raj combines his expertise in pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, and RNA therapeutics to drive innovation in the field of genetic medicine. A recognized leader in the biopharmaceutical industry, Raj has filed over 20 patents in genetics and RNA therapy, with a special focus on the adipocyte biology system and its role in metabolic health. Raj and his team made a breakthrough discovery explaining the cross-talk between two key genes involved in adipogenesis and energy expenditure, a mechanism previously unknown. This discovery provides the scientific foundation for the development of Canary’s key RNAi obesity therapeutic product called CCT-217. His passion for leveraging RNA therapeutics to address critical health challenges has positioned him as a key figure in the development of transformative gene therapies. At Canary Cure, Dr. Reddy oversees the preclinical pipeline of promising gene and RNA therapies, driving their development with a personalized, AI-enhanced approach. He has led the development of a novel gene therapy candidate for a rare brain disease and has multiple patents related to genetic mechanisms, RNA therapeutics, and vector design. His leadership has also spanned global strategic management and specialty biologicals, with a proven track record of managing a portfolio worth over $500 million. Raj is driven by the transformative potential of genetic medicine and is passionate about leveraging cutting-edge technologies to enable earlier disease detection and more effective personalized treatments. His vision is to harness the power of RNA to understand the genetic underpinnings of diseases and unlock new possibilities in precision medicine, ultimately revolutionizing healthcare and improving outcomes for patients worldwide.

Anna is an expert in global health, advocacy, and business development with more than 20 years of experience in the development of drugs and medical devices, development of partnerships, and expansion of footprints in developing markets. In the last five years, Anna helped take two companies public. She was VP for Public Affairs at Medicines for Malaria and a senior advisor to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She also advises family offices, philanthropic organizations and impact investment funds.

Guangping Gao, PhD is the Director, Li Weibo Institute for Rare Diseases Research, Director, Horae Gene Therapy Center and Viral Vector Core, Professor in Biomedical Research, UMass Chan Medical School. Dr. Gao is an internationally recognized gene therapy researcher who has played a key role in the discovery and characterization of new family of adeno-associated virus (AAV) serotypes, which was instrumental in reviving the gene therapy field, hugely impacting many currently untreatable human diseases. Dr. Gao has published 250+ research papers and serves as Editor of Human Gene Therapy.

Dr. Cohen is the Albert Resnick, M.D. Associate Professor at the Rockefeller University, heading the Laboratory of Molecular Metabolism since 2015. The Cohen Lab is investigating a diverse array of questions related to adipose biology and metabolic disorders associated with obesity, including hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and many types of cancer. His lab is focused on further dissecting the key molecular controls governing fat cell phenotype with the ultimate goal of engineering healthier fat.

Dr. Rosenzweig is a clinical pharmacologist and an expert in metabolic syndrome and clinical development of therapeutics for obesity. As the head of Therapeutic Department of Internal Medicine at Sanofi, he lead the development of Rimonabant, a first generation obesity drug in early 2000.

Dr. Kazak is an Assistant Professor in the Department of biochemistry and Goodman Cancer Research Centre at McGill University. His lab explores molecules and metabolic pathways that control mitochondrial energetics in adipocytes and cancer cells.

Ms. Gregor is a partner at Ropes & Gray and advises clients across the life sciences and biotech sectors in a wide range of strategic transactions, including license agreements, complex collaborations, product funding and co-development agreements, royalty monetization transactions and general commercial agreements.

Short Biography
Claire Henchcliffe, M.D., D.Phil. is the Chair and Stanley van den Noort Professor of Neurology, at the University of California, Irvine. She read for her BA in Biochemistry and completed her graduate thesis at the University of Oxford in the UK. She then pursued post-doctoral training in genetics and neuroscience at the University of Cambridge, UK, and the University of California at Berkeley, California. Dr. Henchcliffe received her medical degree from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University in New York City. She completed neurology residency and fellowship at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University in New York City, prior to joining Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City in 2003. At Weill Cornell Medical College she developed a clinical and research program in movement disorders with a focus on clinical trials including stem cell-based therapeutics, eventually serving as Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience, and Vice Chair for Clinical Research. She served as the Weill Cornell site Principal Investigator for the NIH-funded NeuroNEXT clinical trial network and as Medical Director of the Trial Innovation Unit, for the Weill Cornell Clinical and Translational Science Center to the national NCATS-supported Trial Innovation Network. She left in 2020 to take up her position at UCI. Her current research focuses on developing new treatments for Parkinson’s disease, and she has a specific interest in the potential for data-driven personalized approaches to care, including gene- and cell-based therapies. She has been an investigator and on the steering committees for multiple clinical trials in Parkinson’s disease.