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CLEVELAND, Aug. 14, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Abeona Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: ABEO) today announced the appointment of Bernhardt G. Zeiher, MD, FCCP, FACP, and Eric Crombez, MD as new independent members to its Board of Directors. Dr. Zeiher brings more than 20 years of drug development experience where, in various roles, he oversaw the approval of 15 new treatments that addressed unmet needs in serious diseases with few to no treatment options. Dr. Crombez currently serves as Chief Medical Officer of Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. and brings extensive expertise in the development and execution of clinical development programs for rare genetic disorders.
Michael Amoroso, Chairman of Abeona’s Board of Directors, said, “We are delighted to welcome both Bernie Zeiher and Eric Crombez to our Board during this important period in Abeona’s history. As recognized and dynamic life sciences leaders, they bring a wealth of diverse drug development expertise to Abeona. We look forward to their valuable insights as we continue to both focus on bringing pz-cel to patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa and as we seek to advance and expand our pipeline.”
Dr. Zeiher spent more than 10 years at Astellas Pharma, holding multiple roles of increasing responsibility in drug development, leading up to his role as CMO, where he led early- and late-stage drug development, medical and regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance, and quality assurance. Prior to Astellas, Dr. Zeiher held various roles leading drug development at other pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer and Eli Lilly and Company. He also practiced medicine at a tertiary medical center in Indianapolis. Dr. Zeiher currently serves on multiple public company boards, including Entrada Therapeutics and Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He previously served on the boards of TransCelerate Biopharma, Biotechnology Innovation Organization and Astellas Global Health Foundation. Dr. Zeiher received a B.S. in biology from the University of Toledo and an MD from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He completed his internal medicine residency and chief residency at University Hospitals of Cleveland and then finished his physician training as a Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellow at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
Dr. Crombez joined Ultragenyx following the acquisition of Dimension Therapeutics in November 2017. As Chief Medical Officer of Ultragenyx, Dr. Crombez is responsible for strategic leadership of the clinical development and translational research programs, and oversees global development functions including Clinical Development, Clinical Operations, BioMetrics, Endpoint Development and Strategy, Regulatory Affairs and Drug Safety/Pharmacovigilance. At Dimension Therapeutics, Dr. Crombez served as Chief Medical Officer and led the clinical development efforts for their gene therapy programs. Dr. Crombez is also an appointed industry representative on the FDA Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee. Before joining industry, he was assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Medical Genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Crombez is a board-certified clinical geneticist and completed residencies in pediatrics and medical genetics and a fellowship in clinical biochemical genetics at the UCLA School of Medicine. Dr. Crombez obtained his B.S. degree in biology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and his M.D. degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit.