AAVantgarde appoints Nina (Ekaterini) Kotsopoulou, PhD, as Chief Technical Officer

MILAN, January 31, 2024 — AAVantgarde Bio (AAVantgarde), a clinical-stage, Italian-based international biotechnology company with two proprietary Adeno-Associated Viral (AAV) vector platforms for large gene delivery, today announced the appointment of Nina Kotsopoulou, PhD, as Chief Technical Officer.

“Nina’s extensive gene and cell therapy experience across all stages of development will be invaluable as we progress our gene therapy programs, initially for inherited retinal disorders,” said Dr. Natalia Misciattelli, Chief Executive Officer of AAVantgarde. “Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) aspects play a crucial role in the development and production of gene therapy medicinal products (GTMPs), including those based on AAV vectors and I am delighted to have such an experienced CTO on board.”

“I am excited to have joined AAVantgarde and to be working with the experienced team to progress the Company’s retinal gene therapy programs,” said Dr. Nina Kotsopoulou, Chief Technical Officer of AAVantgarde. “AAV gene therapy has been limited by transgene capacity, and AAVantgarde’s platforms enable efficient delivery of large genes to tissue and cells in vivo; something that could be applied to many different disease areas.”

Prior to joining AAVantgarde, Dr. Kotsopoulou was Chief Technical Officer at Xap Therapeutics. Prior to Xap, she oversaw the development and manufacture of cellular gene therapies, from preclinical to commercial, at GSK, Autolus and Orchard Therapeutics. During that time, she played an instrumental role in the approval of Strimvelis and Libmeldy in Europe. She began her career in industry at GSK in biopharmaceuticals. Prior to joining GSK, she was a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School and Cambridge University, focusing on haematopoietic stem cell biology. Nina holds a PhD in lentiviral vectors from Oxford University and a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Athens.

About AAVantgarde Bio

AAVantgarde Bio is a clinical-stage, Italian headquartered, international biotechnology company that has developed two proprietary Adeno-Associated Viral (AAV) vector platforms to address the gene therapy cargo capacity limitations of AAV vectors. The AAVantgarde platforms could be used to deliver large genes to ocular and non-ocular tissues. Co-founded by Professor Alberto Auricchio at TIGEM (Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine) in Naples, Italy, and Telethon Foundation, AAVantgarde will initially validate the platforms in the clinic in two inherited retinal diseases with clear unmet need. For more information, please visit: www.aavantgardebio.com

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