PepGen Bolsters R&D Team with Appointment of Jaya Goyal, Ph.D., as Executive Vice President of Research and Preclinical Development

BOSTON, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — PepGen, Inc., a company advancing next-generation oligonucleotide therapies for neuromuscular and neurologic diseases, today announced the addition of Jaya Goyal, Ph.D., as Executive Vice President of Research and Preclinical Development. Dr. Goyal is an experienced scientific leader with an extensive background in biotech R&D, including in rare diseases. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President of Preclinical and Clinical Sciences at Wave Life Sciences, and also spent over 20 years in roles of increasing responsibility at Biogen.

“I am delighted to welcome Jaya Goyal to our team of PepGen Pioneers as we continue our single-minded pursuit of our goal to bring PepGen’s Enhanced Delivery Oligonucleotide (EDO) therapies to patients,” said James McArthur, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of PepGen. “Jaya is deeply experienced in developing therapies for people with rare diseases and, like the rest of our team, is passionate about identifying new solutions for patients who currently have little to no therapeutic options. I look forward to working alongside her as we advance our therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, myotonic dystrophy type 1 and other neuromuscular and neurologic diseases.”

Jaya Goyal, Ph.D. brings nearly 30 years of experience in research and development to PepGen. Previously, she served as Senior Vice President, Preclinical and Clinical Development Sciences at Wave Life Sciences where she led preclinical pharmacology, toxicology, bioanalytical, DMPK, clinical pharmacology and biomarker functions to support the preclinical and clinical development of nucleic acid-based therapeutics for fatal neurological diseases, including moving multiple candidates successfully from preclinical to clinical development. Previously, she worked at Biogen in roles of increasing responsibility, including Senior Director, Value Based Medicine, where she directed patient stratification and personalized medicine approaches for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). She trained as a postdoctoral fellow at New England Medical Center and Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center after completing her Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Central Drug Research Institute in India.

“I’m thrilled to join PepGen at this pivotal time, as the company moves to progress its lead programs in Duchenne muscular dystrophy and myotonic dystrophy type 1 toward the clinic,” Dr. Goyal said. “I know firsthand the dedication required to bring transformative treatments for rare diseases to people that need them, and this team has a strong scientific foundation and unwavering dedication to the patient community.”

About PepGen 

PepGen, Inc. is a biotechnology company advancing next-generation oligonucleotide therapies for neuromuscular and neurologic diseases. PepGen’s proprietary Enhanced Delivery Oligonucleotides (EDOs) are designed to target the underlying causes of rare diseases safely and effectively such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1). In preclinical studies, PepGen’s enhanced delivery peptides demonstrated success in cell penetration and delivery of therapeutic candidates to multiple tissue types, including cardiac tissue. PepGen was founded by leading neurology researchers in Oxford, UK and is backed by a strong syndicate of investors including RA Capital Management, Oxford Science Enterprises (OSI), and others. The company is headquartered in Boston, Mass. For more information, visit www.pepgen.com or follow PepGen on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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Gwendolyn Schanker 
LifeSci Communications 
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gschanker@lifescicomms.com