Meet Our Team
We’re led by ciliopathy pioneers & gene therapy experts
Board of Directors
Philip Beales, MD, FRCP, FMedSci
Co-founder & CEO
Top ciliopathy geneticist, co-discoverer of BBS gene function and Axovia co-founder, Prof. Philip Beales MD, FRCP, FMedSci also served as the former head of Genetics and Genomic Medicine at University College London (UCL) and leads the most comprehensive research and care efforts globally for people with BBS, including:
- Defining international BBS diagnostic criteria and treatment guidelines;
- Creating interdisciplinary clinics in the UK for people with BBS to see up to seven specialists in one visit;
- Publishing 250+ papers and an Oxford University Press reference book for clinicians about ciliopathies.
Since 2015, Beales’ lab has been developing the basis for genetic therapies and Axovia was founded to advance these treatments for the BBS community.
Victor Hernandez, PhD
Co-founder & CSO
Victor Hernandez, PhD is a developmental biologist and Assistant Professor in Biomedical Science at Brunel University, joined the Beales Lab at UCL in 2008 to study BBS and other ciliopathies. Subsequently, Beales and Hernandez co-founded Axovia in February 2020 to develop therapies for the BBS community.
At Axovia, Hernandez leads the development of Axovia’s gene therapy pipeline to demonstrate proof of concept and efficacy.
Benit Maru, MB ChB, MSc, PhD
CMO
Dr. Maru is a physician, neuroimmunologist and health economist.
He has extensive global experience in clinical R&D. Dr. Maru has held a variety of roles including development lead and chief medical officer for a wide array of gene therapies and has supported the commercialization of a systemically delivered gene therapy.
Michael Cunniffe, ACMA, CGMA
CFO
Michael has significant experience building finance functions to support clinical development from Series A through to IPO.
He has worked previously in gene therapy and most recently he built the atai Life Sciences finance team, developing people and systems through an IPO (200m+ raise / >$2BN valuation) earlier this year.
Perry Philipp
COO
Perry has led the development of highly technical large-scale organizations and programs throughout Europe, North America and the Middle East.
He has been responsible for various organizational build-outs including successful start-ups, as well as commercial programs valued in excess of $4bn with operations consisting circa 17,000 staff.
Philip Beales, MD, FRCP, FMedSci
Co-founder & CEO
Top ciliopathy geneticist, co-discoverer of BBS gene function and Axovia co-founder, Prof. Philip Beales MD, FRCP, FMedSci also served as the former head of Genetics and Genomic Medicine at University College London (UCL) and leads the most comprehensive research and care efforts globally for people with BBS, including:
- Defining international BBS diagnostic criteria and treatment guidelines;
- Creating interdisciplinary clinics in the UK for people with BBS to see up to seven specialists in one visit;
- Publishing 250+ papers and an Oxford University Press reference book for clinicians about ciliopathies.
Since 2015, Beales’ lab has been developing the basis for genetic therapies and Axovia was founded to advance these treatments for the BBS community.
Sean Nolan
Chairman of the Board
Sean brings diverse functional expertise inclusive of commercial operations, global marketing, corporate and business development and global manufacturing and supply chain management.
Sean formerly served as CEO of AveXis.
Joe Nolan
Board Member
Joe is a results focused pharma growth leader with over 30 years of experience building high performance teams, driving operational efficiency and growing products in competitive pharma spaces. He is accountable for full P&L and revenue generation.
Formerly of AveXis, Lundbeck, and Abbott Laboratories.
Elise Wang
Board Member
Elise provides provides extensive research and analysis on individual companies operating in the healthcare industry in both the US and Europe. Elise is a Partner at Deerfield Management.
Jonathan Leff
Board Member
Jonathan focuses on venture capital and structured investments in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. Jonathan is a Partner at Deerfield Management.
Dave Greenwald, PhD
Board Member
Dr. Greenwald focuses on early-stage biotechnology investments and supports Deerfield private portfolio companies with corporate strategy and business development.
Dave Fellows
Board Member
Dave brings 40 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry with global expertise in business development, marketing, and operations. His most recent role was CEO of Nightstar Therapeutics and he currently serves on the board of Oxular ltd. and the Glaucoma Foundation.
Kenneth Custer, PhD, MBA
Board Member
Ken brings his diverse background across the biological sciences, drug development and commercialization. He is passionate about working at the intersection of science, technology and business, and is currently VP and Head of Corporate Business Development and Lilly New Ventures for Eli Lilly and Company.