Munich, Germany, June 30, 2023 –– ViGeneron GmbH, a next-generation gene therapy company, announced the appointment of Dr. Markus Kalousek as Chief Business & Strategy Officer (CBO) effective July 1st, 2023, to advance the next stage of corporate development. With more than 25 years of experience in the international biopharmaceutical sector, mainly in large corporations, Dr. Kalousek brings extensive knowledge in business development, corporate strategy, and drug development to his position. Since ViGeneron’s inception, he has advised the company on financial transactions and major pharma agreements.
Dr. Caroline Man Xu, Co-founder and CEO of ViGeneron said: “I warmly welcome Markus Kalousek as Chief Business & Strategy Officer on board at ViGeneron. With his broad international experience in business development, he will drive the next phase of our corporate development and partnerships to bring gene therapy innovations to people in need. Having worked with Dr. Kalousek for several years in his advisory role, I know he is an excellent fit for our company and our team and key to swiftly driving the strategy to fulfill our corporate vision.”
“With its cutting-edge gene therapy innovations, ViGeneron addresses the current limitations of AAV-based gene therapy in ophthalmology and other therapeutic areas such as CNS, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal diseases,” said Dr. Markus Kalousek, “I am very much looking forward to joining the dynamic and passionate ViGeneron team, bringing innovations to patients around the world while building value for our partners and investors.”
Before joining ViGeneron, Dr. Kalousek held senior positions at Novartis Corporation, including most recently as Head of Search & Evaluation for corporate BD&L. He joined Novartis Pharma AG in 2004 as International Program Leader before being promoted to Clinical Franchise Head Immunology, Dermatology & Transplant and Head of Strategy for Novartis China. Previously, Dr. Kalousek had roles of increasing responsibility at CRO, Biotech and Pharma.
Dr. Kalousek earned his PhD in Oncology Research from the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich after obtaining a MSc in Biochemistry & Neuroscience from Zurich University.
About ViGeneron
ViGeneron is dedicated to bringing gene therapy innovations to people in need. The company is advancing its proprietary gene therapy pipeline to treat ophthalmic diseases, while partnering with leading biopharmaceutical players in retinal diseases, CNS, and other disease areas. ViGeneron’s three novel next-generation gene therapy platforms are geared towards addressing the limitations of existing adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapies. The first, vgAAV vector platform, enables a superior transduction efficiency of target cells and is designed to overcome biological barriers, thus enabling novel, less invasive routes of administration such as intravitreal injections. The second, REVeRT (REconstitution Via mRNA Trans-splicing) technology platform, allows efficient reconstitution of large genes (>5Kb) in various tissues such as retina, brain, heart, liver, and skeletal muscle. The third, AAV Transactivation is a CRISPR-Cas–based AAV gene therapy platform that enables to regulate one or multiple genes in vivo. Privately-owned ViGeneron was founded in 2017 by a seasoned team with in-depth experience in AAV vector technology and clinical ophthalmic gene therapy programs and is located in Munich, Germany. For further information, please visit www.vigeneron.com.