TAAV names new CEO
TAAV Biomanufacturing Solutions, a cGMP manufacturer of doggybone DNA (a synthetic DNA material for AAV gene therapies), has appointed Dolores Baksh, Ph.D. as Chief Executive Officer.
Baksh brings a 20-year track record of biotechnology R&D, product development and cGMP manufacturing leadership to TAAV.
TAAV, an independently operated wholly-owned subsidiary of Asklepios BioPharmaceutical (AskBio), and a member of the Bayer worldwide group of companies, is a cGMP manufacturer of doggybone DNA (a synthetic DNA material for AAV gene therapies), promoting the substance as an alternative to plasmid DNA.
TAAV's facility in San Sebastian, Spain, is specifically designed for the manufacture of high quality dbDNA for research, preclinical and clinical grade AAV therapeutics. The company believes its synthetic process will lead to high yields at small scales and shorter manufacturing timelines, facilitating quicker production of AAV and increasing safety by eliminating residual bacterial sequences of plasmid DNA.
Baksh joins TAAV from Akron Biomanufacturing where she served as the company's Business Unit Head and Vice President of Commercial Biomanufacturing, leading its growth strategy for the production of cGMP plasmids and gene editing nucleases. She also held various leadership positions at GE Healthcare Life Sciences; GE Venture start-up, Vineti, Inc.; Organogenesis; and others. In these roles, Baksh established cell and gene therapy product development strategies through organic and inorganic approaches, brought to market software to scale and digitize cell manufacturing systems and played a leading role in the approval of the first FDA approved allogeneic cell-based product.
Baksh received her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto. She will split her time between Boston, Massachusetts, and TAAV's manufacturing facility in San Sebastian, Spain.