Luxa Biotechnology LLC (Luxa), a clinical -stage biotechnology company developing a novel adult retinal pigment epithelial stem cell (RPESC) therapy for dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), today announced the appointment of Keith Dionne, Ph.D. as Chief Executive Officer.

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Keith E. Dionne, Ph.D. (Photo: Business Wire)

An early pioneer in the cell therapy field and a seasoned biotechnology executive, Dr. Dionne brings three decades of experience to Luxa and will be instrumental in advancing RPESC therapy to benefit patients with dry AMD and Geographic Atrophy (GA).

"We are excited to welcome Keith to the Luxa team. He has deep expertise and an impressive track record of guiding early-stage biotech companies to commercial success. He is the ideal leader to help advance our mission to restore vision and improve the quality of life for patients with dry AMD/GA who currently lack vision improving treatment options," said Sally Temple, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Luxa.

Dr. Dionne is an industry veteran with extensive experience leading U.S. and international biotechnology companies as well as multiple strategic alliances and acquisitions in the areas of oncology, diabetes, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), cardiovascular, and inflammation. Most recently, he was CEO of Casma Therapeutics. Prior to his role as President and CEO of Constellation, he served as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Third Rock Ventures. Previously, he served as CEO of Surface Logix and as President and CEO of Alantos Pharmaceuticals, leading the company's acquisition by Amgen in July 2007. Prior to joining Alantos, Dr. Dionne was with Millennium Pharmaceuticals (now Takeda) where he held positions of increasing responsibility, concluding a seven-year tenure as vice president of business development and general manager, technology business. Earlier in his career, he led implantable drug delivery research at ALZA Pharmaceuticals and was one of four original scientists at CytoTherapeutics, Inc., a cell transplantation company. Dr. Dionne earned both his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and his M.S. in the Program for Technology Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"I am honored to join Luxa at such an exciting time," said Dr. Dionne. “Part of my drive to join the organization was the impressive early positive clinical data showing best-in-class vision improvement, advanced CMC, and clinical trial design. I am confident that the company’s innovative RPESC therapy represents an important breakthrough in the treatment of dry AMD/GA. I look forward to working with the talented team at Luxa to continue clinical advancement of this potential new treatment and lead the company into its next phase of growth."

Dry AMD is a common eye disorder in people over 55 years of age. It is caused by the deterioration of macular RPE cells. As RPE cells degenerate and are not renewed, dry AMD results in impaired central vision and progressive blindness. There are currently no treatments available to reverse the damage or to restore the loss of vision. This is the gap that Luxa aims to fill.

About Luxa Biotechnology

Luxa Biotechnology (Luxa) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a novel adult RPE stem cell (RPESC) therapy for dry AMD/GA. The proprietary adult RPESC-derived RPE stem cell product was developed at, and licensed from, the Neural Stem Cell Institute (NSCI). Luxa is a joint venture between the NSCI research institute and Y2 Solution, a Korean technology company. Luxa is sponsoring a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of RPESC-RPE-4W therapy for dry AMD/GA. Luxa maintains a robust research program at NSCI to advance the RPESC as an effective, commercially viable cell product. The Phase 1/2a clinical trial of RPESC-RPE-4W for the Treatment of Dry Age-related Macular Degeneration includes the Cedars Sinai Biomanufacturing Center, Emmes Corporation, the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center, the National Eye Institute and is partially supported by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. For more information, please visit www.luxabiotech.com

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