Ray Therapeutics Appoints Michael Murtagh as Chief Regulatory Officer

—Industry veteran brings global regulatory expertise to support development of innovative optogenetic gene therapies—

BERKELEY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Ray Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing optogenetic gene therapies for vision restoration, today announced the appointment of Michael Murtagh as Chief Regulatory Officer. With more than 20 years of experience in regulatory affairs, Michael has led multiple Investigational New Drug Applications (INDs), Clinical Trial Applications (CTAs) and marketing applications across a range of indications, spanning therapeutic areas including oncology, cardiovascular disease, neurology and inborn errors of metabolism.

“Michael’s strong background and wealth of knowledge across all aspects of regulatory affairs including late-stage clinical development will be instrumental for our lead candidate, RTx-015 for retinitis pigmentosa as well as our earlier-stage RTx-021 programs in Stargardt Disease and Geographic Atrophy,” said Paul Bresge, CEO & Co-Founder, Ray Therapeutics. “His appointment reflects our continued focus on building a leadership team with the expertise needed to support the development of differentiated, best-in-class optogenetic therapies for patients with vision loss.”

Mr. Murtagh brings more than two decades of experience leading global regulatory strategies across all phases of drug development, spanning multiple therapeutic modalities and disease areas. Prior to joining Ray Therapeutics, he served as Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at AAVantgarde Bio, where he oversaw regulatory strategy. His prior experience includes senior regulatory leadership roles at Vedere Bio II, Astellas Gene Therapies (formerly Audentes Therapeutics), and BioMarin Pharmaceutical, where he helped shape regulatory strategies for innovative gene therapy and biologic programs.

“Optimized optogenetic gene therapy holds tremendous promise to improve quality of life and visual function for patients with retinal genetic diseases. I am particularly excited to work with the Ray Therapeutics team to define the registrational pathway for RTx-015 in retinitis pigmentosa, with the goal of delivering safe, meaningful therapies to patients with high unmet need.”

About Retinitis Pigmentosa

RP is a genetic disease in which the photoreceptors gradually degenerate, resulting in complete or nearly complete blindness for most patients. The symptoms of RP include night blindness, reduced visual fields, and eventual loss of visual acuity. Patients are typically diagnosed in the first decades of life. It is estimated that more than half a million people are affected by RP worldwide. At present, no effective treatment is available for RP.

About Ray Therapeutics

Ray Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advancing optogenetic therapies to restore vision in patients with severe retinal degeneration. By delivering a bioengineered, highly light-sensitive protein to targeted retinal cells, the approach is designed to improve visual function regardless of the underlying genetic mutation. The company’s lead candidate, RTx-015, targets retinal ganglion cells and is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical trial for patients with retinitis pigmentosa. Ray Therapeutics has a second program entering the clinic, RTx-021, for Stargardt disease and geographic atrophy, which targets retinal bipolar cells. Ray Therapeutics is headquartered in Berkeley, California. For more information, visit www.raytherapeutics.com.

Contacts

Media:
Glenn Silver
Partner, National Media Relations Specialist
FINN Partners
glenn.silver@finnpartners.com
973-818-8198