Voyager Therapeutics Appoints Perry A. Karsen To Board Of Directors

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Voyager Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage gene therapy company developing life-changing treatments for severe diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), today announced the appointment of Perry A. Karsen to its board of directors. Mr. Karsen brings more than 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and currently serves as chief executive officer of Celgene Cellular Therapeutics (CCT), the cell therapy research and development division of Celgene Corporation.

“Voyager Therapeutics is advancing its promising gene therapies against some of the most pressing medical needs facing society”

“I am delighted to welcome Perry to Voyager’s board of directors,” said Steven Paul, M.D., president and CEO of Voyager Therapeutics. “Perry’s extensive management experience and proven track record of leadership in the biopharmaceutical industry will be invaluable as Voyager evolves and advances its pipeline of gene therapies for patients with severe CNS diseases.”

Mr. Karsen has been the CEO of CCT since May 2013, previously serving as Celgene Corporation’s executive vice president and chief operations officer. Previously, Mr. Karsen was the president and CEO of Pearl Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company subsequently acquired by AstraZeneca plc. He joined Pearl from Celgene, where he was senior vice president and head of worldwide business development, responsible for emerging businesses as president, Asia/Pacific Region, as well as all licensing and strategic collaboration initiatives. Prior to his tenure with Celgene, Mr. Karsen held multiple leadership positions including vice president, business development at Human Genome Sciences, Inc.; vice president, strategic business analysis and development at Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.; senior vice president, marketing and sales at Zimmer, Inc.; director, business development and representative director, Japan at Genentech, Inc.; and various domestic and international roles with Abbott Laboratories. Additionally, he was a general partner at Pequot Ventures responsible for early and late stage investments in biotechnology and medical devices. Mr. Karsen currently serves as a member of the board of directors of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (where he also serves on the executive committee), the Life Sciences Foundation, Inc., Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Alliqua BioMedical, Inc. Mr. Karsen received a Masters of Management from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, a Masters in Teaching of Biology from Duke University and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

“Voyager Therapeutics is advancing its promising gene therapies against some of the most pressing medical needs facing society,” said Perry Karsen. “I am very excited to be joining the Voyager board of directors, as Steve and the Voyager team continue to advance these potentially transformational therapies to patients afflicted with severe CNS diseases.”

About Voyager Therapeutics

Voyager Therapeutics is a clinical-stage gene therapy company developing life-changing treatments for severe diseases of the central nervous system. Voyager is committed to advancing the field of AAV (adeno-associated virus) gene therapy through innovation and investment in vector engineering and optimization, manufacturing and dosing and delivery techniques. The company’s pipeline is focused on severe CNS diseases in need of effective new therapies, including advanced Parkinson’s disease, a monogenic form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Friedreich’s ataxia, and Huntington’s disease. Voyager has broad strategic collaborations with Genzyme Corporation, a Sanofi company, and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Founded by scientific and clinical leaders in the fields of AAV gene therapy, expressed RNA interference and neuroscience, Voyager Therapeutics was launched in 2014 with funding from leading life sciences investor Third Rock Ventures, and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit www.voyagertherapeutics.com. Follow Voyager on LinkedIn.