BioGene Therapeutics has announced the appointment of Ty Howton to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Howton brings nearly 30 years of biopharmaceutical industry experience, including 15 years as an executive team member and lead board advisor for public and private growth companies, with a track record of helping clinical-stage gene therapy and precision medicine companies transition to commercial-stage organizations.
Howton currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of Solid Biosciences, a public clinical-stage neuromuscular, cardiovascular, and AAV platform gene therapy company, where he built and leads operations for an organization that has advanced multiple candidates into active clinical trials and developed a full preclinical pipeline. Prior to Solid Biosciences, he served as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of AavantiBio, a private gene therapy company backed by Bain Capital, Perceptive Lifesciences, and RA Capital, which merged with Solid Biosciences in 2022. Earlier in his career, Howton served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary at Sarepta Therapeutics, where he was part of the executive team that transformed the company from clinical stage to a multi-drug commercial organization, and as Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, where he was involved in the launches of Incivek and Kalydeco. He also held the role of Chief Healthcare Compliance Officer at Genentech. Howton holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Yale University and a Juris Doctor from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.
Texas-based BioGene Therapeutics is focused on advancing innovative therapies in metabolic health and gene-based treatments, with ongoing research through its Australian subsidiary into GLP-1 receptor agonists and advanced diabetes and obesity treatments including gene therapies. In connection with the appointment, BioGene granted Howton 100,000 stock options exercisable at $5.00 per share through June 2031 and 500,000 restricted share units, both vesting in 25% annual increments.
KEY QUOTES:
“I am honored to join the Board of Directors of BioGene Therapeutics. I look forward to contributing my operational, legal, financing, and governance expertise to help the company advance its mission of developing transformative therapies for patients.”
Ty Howton, Board Member, BioGene Therapeutics
“Ty brings exceptional operational leadership, deep legal and governance expertise, and a proven track record of scaling gene therapy companies from clinical to commercial stages. His extensive experience in financing, corporate development, and board-level oversight will be invaluable as we advance our pipeline and continue building BioGene into a leading gene therapy company.”
Stephen Van Deventer, Chairman and CEO, BioGene Therapeutics
