Specific Biologics Welcomes Paul J. Hastings as Chair of the Board of Directors
TORONTO, June 11, 2025 /CNW/ - Specific Biologics Inc., a biotechnology company advancing Dualase® genome editors for precise and programmable in vivo genome editing, today announced the appointment of Paul J. Hastings as Chair of its Board of Directors.
Mr. Hastings is a distinguished leader in the biopharmaceutical industry and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of engineered cell therapy company Nkarta since 2018. He is also a current Director of EnGene, a non-viral gene therapy company, and recently served as the Chair of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). Over his career, he has held numerous top leadership roles, including CEO of OncoMed, QLT, Axys Pharmaceuticals, and LXR Biotechnology, and President of Chiron BioPharmaceuticals. He has guided corporate strategy as Chair of Pacira Biosciences, Proteon Therapeutics and Proteolix, and as a Director of ViaCyte, Relypsa and ViaCell, and previously held leadership roles in global biotechnology companies as President of Genzyme Therapeutics Europe and Genzyme Global Therapeutics, as well as progressive executive roles at Hoffmann-La Roche. A committed mentor and patient advocate, he co-founded and chairs the board of Youth Rally Inc. and serves on the Board of the Termeer Foundation.
"I am thrilled to welcome Paul to the Board," said Brent Stead, CEO of Specific Biologics. "His proven ability to lead and scale high-impact biotechnology companies with breakthrough technologies will be instrumental as we advance our Dualase® platform toward the clinic for patients in need. We are entering an exciting new phase of growth, and Paul's leadership of the Board will be invaluable."
"I'm honored to join the Board of Specific Biologics at such a pivotal time," said Hastings. "The Dualase® technology has the potential to reshape how we approach treating some of the most challenging genetic diseases. I look forward to working with the leadership team and Board to support Specific's mission and drive meaningful impact for patients with limited therapeutic options."
Specific Biologics also extends its sincere gratitude to Dr. Steven Kanner for his dedicated service on the Board and guidance during a critical phase of the company's development. "Steve played a key role in helping shape our early strategy and set the foundation for our current momentum," said Stead.
About Specific Biologics Inc.
Specific Biologics is a venture-backed biotechnology company developing Dualase®, an industry-leading genome editing platform for precise, efficient, and programmable in vivo genome editing, with an initial therapeutic focus on the precise collapse of pathogenic repeat expansions in neurodegenerative disease. Its unique two-site mechanism enables the seamless removal, repair, or insertion of both small and large DNA sequences, offering broad therapeutic potential, coupled with single AAV or all-RNA delivery. Dualase® achieves best-in-class accurate editing efficiency with undetectable off-target effects as demonstrated in preclinical cell and animal models at diverse targets and indications.
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