Abeona Therapeutics Appoints Gene Therapy Quality Leader Jon Voss as Vice President, Head of Quality

NEW YORK and CLEVELAND, Oct. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Abeona Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: ABEO), a fully-integrated leader in gene and cell therapy, today announced the appointment of Jon Voss as Vice President, Head of Quality. Mr. Voss, who has been advising the Company as a consultant, will now serve in a leadership role to further strengthen Abeona’s quality system and oversee all quality functions.

“Jon is a proven technical leader with a strong track record of successful quality oversight that includes chemistry, manufacturing and control (CMC)-related and clinical functions for gene therapies,” said Dr. Vish Seshadri, Ph.D., M.B.A., Head of Research & Clinical Development and CEO-elect at Abeona. “Jon’s extensive experience in these critical areas will be invaluable as we focus on bringing our therapies to patients as expeditiously as possible.”

Mr. Voss has over 30 years of U.S. and international quality experience in gene therapy, small molecule, biological drug, and medical device products, with unique expertise in moving companies from the development to commercial stage. Previously, Mr. Voss served as Executive Vice President Global Quality at Cellectis SA, where he built Cellectis’ global quality organization to support the UCART (Universal Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cells) clinical programs. Mr. Voss has also served in multiple senior quality roles within Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc., Generation Bio Co., and Genzyme Corporation. Mr. Voss received a Master of Science in biomedical engineering from Boston University, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, Davis.

Mr. Voss’s appointment follows the recent addition by the Company of gene and biopharmaceutical industry veterans with deep operational expertise across the areas of clinical development, regulatory, and quality to prepare for the potential of two Biologics License Application (BLA) submissions for EB-101 and adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy ABO-102 currently in pivotal studies.

About Abeona Therapeutics
Abeona Therapeutics Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing gene and cell therapies for serious diseases. Abeona’s clinical programs include EB-101, its investigational autologous, gene-corrected cell therapy for recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa in Phase 3 development, as well as ABO-102 and ABO-101, novel investigational AAV-based gene therapies for Sanfilippo syndrome types A and B (MPS IIIA and MPS IIIB), respectively, in Phase 1/2 development. The Company’s development portfolio also features AAV-based gene therapies for ophthalmic diseases with high unmet medical need. Abeona’s novel, next-generation AAV capsids are being evaluated to improve tropism profiles for a variety of devastating diseases. Abeona’s fully integrated gene and cell therapy cGMP manufacturing facility produces EB-101 for the pivotal Phase 3 VIITAL™ study and is capable of clinical and planned commercial production of AAV-based gene therapies. For more information, visit www.abeonatherapeutics.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain statements that are forward-looking within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and that involve risks and uncertainties. We have attempted to identify forward-looking statements by such terminology as “may,” “will,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances), which constitute and are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, numerous risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, operations, and financial condition, continued interest in our rare disease portfolio, our ability to enroll patients in clinical trials, the outcome of any future meetings with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or other regulatory agencies, the impact of competition, the ability to secure licenses for any technology that may be necessary to commercialize our products, the ability to achieve or obtain necessary regulatory approvals, the impact of changes in the financial markets and global economic conditions, risks associated with data analysis and reporting, and other risks disclosed in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise the forward-looking statements or to update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by the federal securities laws.

Investor and Media Contact:
Greg Gin
VP, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
Abeona Therapeutics
+1 (646) 813-4709
ggin@abeonatherapeutics.com

Released October 12, 2021