CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Gemini Therapeutics, Inc., (Nasdaq: GMTX) a clinical stage precision medicine company developing innovative treatments for genetically defined age-related macular degeneration (AMD), today announced that Brian Piekos has been appointed to serve as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Piekos brings more than 20 years of experience in industry and finance to Gemini.
“It is my pleasure to welcome Brian to the team at this exciting time in Gemini’s history right on the heels of our debut as a public company,” said Jason Meyenburg, Chief Executive Officer of Gemini. “Brian’s deep financial experience and results-driven attitude will be invaluable to us as we continue to develop first-in-class medicines, using insights in genetics and biology, to restore regulation of the complement system in the eye and throughout the body.”
“I look forward to bringing my unique perspective and industry experience to this seasoned leadership team and supporting Gemini on their path to see disease differently,” said Mr. Piekos. “With the promising safety profile demonstrated by GEM103 to date, and more trials underway, I believe Gemini is positioned for incredible value.”
Mr. Piekos joins Gemini from AMAG Pharmaceuticals, where he was most recently Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. Prior to joining AMAG, he held leadership roles in Corporate Finance, Tax and Treasury at Cubist Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Piekos began his career as a healthcare investment banker at Needham & Company and Leerink Partners, now SVB Leerink. Mr. Piekos earned his MBA from the Simon Business School at the University of Rochester. He obtained an M.S. in molecular biology from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and a B.A. in biochemistry from Ithaca College.
About GEM103
Gemini’s lead program, GEM103, is a pioneering precision medicine approach, targeting trial enrichment with genetically-defined patients. GEM103 targets a genetically-defined subset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients with complement dysregulation. Of the 15 million dry AMD patients, approximately 40% (or six million) have variants in the complement factor H (CFH) gene. Such loss-of-function variants are associated with increased dry AMD disease risk. GEM103 is believed to be the first ever recombinant native complement modulator, full-length recombinant complement factor H (rCFH) protein. When delivered by intravitreal injection, GEM103 has the potential to address unmet medical need in genetically-defined subsets of AMD patients by circumventing dysfunctional CFH loss-of-function variants and slowing the progression of their retinal disease.
About Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive retinal disease affecting millions of older adults, and the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the western world. Symptoms, which include blurry vision, loss of night vision and loss of central vision, make activities of daily living such as reading, driving and even recognizing faces progressively more difficult. Third-party reports indicate there are approximately 16 million patients with AMD in the United States alone. Dry AMD, which results from an interaction of environmental and genetic risk factors, represents about 90% of that population (or about 15 million) in the US compared to about 1.4 million with wet AMD. Genetic risk of developing dry AMD is significant, with approximately 70% attributable risk of advanced disease to heritability, while aging and smoking confer the strongest non-genetic risk. CFH risk variants occur in approximately 40% of patients with dry AMD and these patients have a significantly increased risk of developing the disease as well as progression from intermediate AMD to GA. The complement system, of which CFH is a modulator, is dysregulated in patients with these risk variants, and results in amplification of aberrant inflammatory responses in the eye. Over time, this dysregulation leads to damage to the macular region of the retina.
About Gemini Therapeutics
Gemini Therapeutics is a clinical stage precision medicine company developing novel therapeutic compounds to treat genetically defined age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Gemini’s lead candidate, GEM103, is a recombinant form of the human complement factor H protein (CFH), and is designed to address both complement hyperactivity and restore retinal health in patients with AMD. GEM103 is currently in a Phase 2a trial in dry AMD patients with a CFH risk variant. The company has generated a rich pipeline including recombinant proteins, gene therapies, and monoclonal antibodies.
For more information, visit www.geminitherapeutics.com.
