Dr. Chung brings over three decades of experience spanning clinical ophthalmology, academic research and gene therapy development
LONDON and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Beacon Therapeutics Holdings Limited ('Beacon Therapeutics' or 'the Company'), a leading clinical-stage biotechnology company with a mission to save and restore the vision of patients with blinding retinal diseases, today announces the appointment of Dr. Daniel Chung as Chief Medical Officer, effective immediately.
Dr. Chung brings a wealth of experience in clinical ophthalmology, academic research and gene therapy development spanning three decades. Most recently, he served as Chief Medical Officer at SparingVision, a clinical-stage genomic medicine company. Previously, Dr. Chung served as Ophthalmology Therapeutic Area Leader at Spark Therapeutics, where he played an instrumental role in the development of Luxturna® (voretigene neparvovec), the first gene therapy approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) for use in a blinding genetic disease. He also served as Senior Investigator at the FM Kirby Center for Molecular Ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and as the Sub-Principal Investigator/Scientific Advisor on the RPE65 gene therapy study team at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
"We are thrilled to welcome Dan to our leadership team," saidLance Baldo, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Beacon Therapeutics. "He brings deep clinical and translational expertise in developing gene therapies for retinal diseases and has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to patients and the clinical community supporting blinding diseases. His appointment comes at a critical time for Beacon as we approach the completion of enrollment of our registrational Phase 2/3 VISTA trial."
"Beacon Therapeutics is making great progress, and I look forward to being part of an inspired team with its unique approach to advancing gene therapy to address rare and prevalent retinal diseases," added Dr. Chung. "X-linked retinitis pigmentosa is a devastating disease with no currently approved treatment. I am greatly encouraged by the data from the Phase 2 DAWN trial, and look forward to applying my expertise to advance laru-zova through the regulatory process, one step closer to approval, and potentially treating patients living with progressive vision loss."
Dr. Chung completed fellowships in pediatric ophthalmology and ocular genetics research at the Cole Eye Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, and in retinal gene therapy at the National Eye Institute, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Prior to this, he completed his ophthalmology residency at Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio. He holds a B.S. in Biology and M.A. in Family Counseling from Eastern Nazarene College and a D.O. in Medicine from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Beacon Therapeutics recently announcedpositive six-month interim safety and efficacy results from the Phase 2 DAWN trial of Beacon's lead program, laru-zova, in patients with X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP).
Contact:
info@beacontx.com
Media & Investors:
beacon@icrhealthcare.com
About Beacon Therapeutics
Beacon Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company with a mission to save and restore the vision of patients with blinding retinal diseases. The Company has an established scientific foundation that includes a late-stage clinical development candidate to treat XLRP and two preclinical programs targeting dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and an inherited cone-rod dystrophy (CRD).
Beacon Therapeutics' investors include Syncona Limited, Forbion, Oxford Science Enterprises, TCGX and Advent Life Sciences, among others. Learn more about Beacon Therapeutics at beacontx.com.
