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R. Jude Samulski

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R. Jude Samulski
Born
Richard Jude Samulski

1954
CitizenshipUnited States
Alma mater
  • Ph.D. University of Florida
  • B.S. Clemson University
Known forAdeno-associated virus vectors
Scientific career
FieldsGene Therapy, Molecular Biology, Molecular Virology, Pharmacology
InstitutionsDirector, UNC Gene Therapy Center

Richard Jude Samulski (born 1954) is an American scientist, inventor, and academic recognized for his pioneering work in gene therapy and adeno-associated virus vectors (AAV) in the fields of molecular virology and pharmacology.[1]

Samulski is the former director of the UNC Gene Therapy Center and a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Education

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Samulski earned his Ph.D. at the University of Florida in 1982[2] and his B.S. at Clemson University in 1976.[3] He was president of the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy in 2011.[4] His contributions to scientific literature include 208 academic publications,[5] and 408 research items,[6] broadly cited by their scholarly discipline with 3,158 patent citations and 17,140 scholarly citations.[7]

Work

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He co-founded biotechnology companies active in gene therapy and AAV commercialization,[8] including AskBio (Asklepios BioPharmaceutical Inc.), a biotechnology company focused on AAV gene therapy,[9][10] NanoCor Therapeutics, Inc.[11] Chatham Therapeutics, Inc. and Bamboo Therapeutics, Inc, spinoffs from Asklepios BioPharmaceutical Inc.[12] He was the director of the UNC School of Medicine Gene Therapy Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina until 2016.[13]

AAV research

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Samulski's research has focused on the study of the human non-pathogenic parvovirus adeno-associated virus (AAV) and its use in gene therapies.[14] In the 1980s, as a graduate student, he pioneered the use of AAV as a vector for therapeutic genes.[15][13] In 1984, he cloned the virus DNA into a bacterial plasmid. This led to the recognition of the potential of AAV and also formed the foundation for the two current FDA-approved AAV gene therapies.[10] His work demonstrated AAV2 as a viral vector for gene therapy which led to the first U.S. Patent for inserting genes into AAV.[16] This technique has been used in gene therapy clinical trials for cystic fibrosis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy,[17] haemophilia[18] and Parkinson's disease, and the foundation for gene therapy research and development in the bioscience industry and academic institutions such as UNC.[19] In 2016, Pfizer acquired his company, Bamboo Therapeutics,[20] and in 2014, Baxter International acquired Chatham Therapeutics and programs developed by AskBio.[21]

Awards and recognition

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In 2008, Samulski was the first person to receive the Outstanding Achievement Award by the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, which recognized his lifetime of significant scientific contributions to the field of gene therapy.[14] He holds 98 U.S. and foreign patents and has also been recognized as a co-inventor on other patents, all of which are related to gene delivery associated with adeno-associated virus vectors.[22][23][24]

References

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  1. ^ Gulledge, Seth Thomas (2019-07-05). "Samulski's tumultuous ride to achieve unicorn status". Triangle Business Journal. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  2. ^ "Samulski official profile". Bloomberg.
  3. ^ American men & women of science : a biographical directory of today's leaders in physical, biological, and related sciences (22nd ed.). Thomson Gale. 2005. p. 469. ISBN 9780787673987.
  4. ^ Lewis, Ricki (2013). The forever fix : gene therapy and the boy who saved it (1st ed.). St. Martin's Press. p. 150. ISBN 978-1250015778.
  5. ^ "Dr. Richard Jude Samulski Bibliography NCBI". www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  6. ^ "Samulski research profile". ResearchGate.
  7. ^ "Scholarly Analysis Dashboard, Richard Jude Samulski, The Lens - Free & Open Patent and Scholarly Search". The Lens - Free & Open Patent and Scholarly Search. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  8. ^ "Chapel Hill-Based AskBio Raises $225 Million From TPG Capital and Vida Ventures". Pulse 2.0. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  9. ^ "AskBio Partners with TPG and Vida Ventures". The Bakersfield Californian. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  10. ^ a b Quilici, Elaine (9 November 2019). "R. Jude Samulski: Gene Therapy's Guiding Force". Pharmaceutical Executive. Pharmaceutical Executive-11-01-2019. 39 (11). Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  11. ^ Murawski, John. "Hurdles, strategies for growing high-tech business Chapel Hill". The News Observer. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  12. ^ Price, Mark. "Pharma giant Pfizer to acquire Chapel Hill's Bamboo Therapeutics". The News Observer. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  13. ^ a b Saylor, Teri (4 June 2018). "Life sciences are gaining ground on big health concerns". Business North Carolina. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  14. ^ a b "Samulski wins achievement award from American Society for Gene Therapy". UNC Healthcare. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  15. ^ Zimmer, Carl (13 August 2013). "Gene Therapy Emerges From Disgrace to Be the Next Big Thing, Again". Wired. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  16. ^ BioWorld Today, April 3, 2014. Page 5. https://www.ctf.org/images/uploads/documents/bwt04032014.pdf
  17. ^ Bowles, Dawn E; McPhee, Scott WJ; Li, Chengwen; Gray, Steven J; Samulski, Jade J; Camp, Angelique S; Li, Juan; Wang, Bing; Monahan, Paul E; Rabinowitz, Joseph E; Grieger, Joshua C; Govindasamy, Lakshmanan; Agbandje-McKenna, Mavis; Xiao, Xiao; Samulski, R Jude (February 2012). "Phase 1 Gene Therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Using a Translational Optimized AAV Vector". Molecular Therapy. 20 (2): 443–455. doi:10.1038/mt.2011.237. PMC 3277234. PMID 22068425.
  18. ^ "Gene therapies only work for some people – so how do we fix this?". Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  19. ^ Shamp, Jim. "UNC's Samulski Parlays NCBiotech Support Into Cutting-Edge Gene Therapies | North Carolina Biotechnology Center". www.ncbiotech.org. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  20. ^ "Pfizer Just Spent about $645 Million to Buy This Gene Therapy Company". Fortune. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  21. ^ "AskBio Partners with TPG and Vida Ventures". www.businesswire.com. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  22. ^ Hastie, E; Samulski, RJ (May 2015). "Adeno-associated virus at 50: a golden anniversary of discovery, research, and gene therapy success--a personal perspective". Human Gene Therapy. 26 (5): 257–65. doi:10.1089/hum.2015.025. PMC 4442590. PMID 25807962.
  23. ^ Frank, Karen M.; Hogarth, D. Kyle; Miller, Jonathan L.; Mandal, Saptarshi; Mease, Philip J.; Samulski, R. Jude; Weisgerber, Glen A.; Hart, John (9 July 2009). "Investigation of the Cause of Death in a Gene-Therapy Trial". New England Journal of Medicine. 361 (2): 161–169. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa0801066. PMID 19587341.
  24. ^ "US Patent Collection - Jude Samulski". United States Patent and Trademark Office.
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