Joe is responsible for leading the development strategy and internal R&D efforts for projects within the RTW Foundation portfolio. Prior to joining RTW Foundation, Joe was a staff scientist at Regeneron where he led a team focused on preclinical development of gene therapies and AAV vector engineering. Before Regeneron, Joe was a principal scientist at Pfizer where he developed and led multiple immuno-oncology programs from early-stage discovery up to IND application, working with a diverse array of modalities including lipid/polymeric nanoparticles, PROTACs, ADCs, antibodies, and small molecules. Prior to Pfizer, Joe was a senior scientist at Innovimmune, a biotech startup. During his PhD, Joe developed unique delivery technologies for nucleic acid-based drugs, seeking to modulate immune responses for autoimmune and oncology indications. His PhD work led to two separate first author publications in Molecular Therapy, as well as additional publications throughout his research career.
Joe has a BS in human biology from Michigan State University, a MS in cellular & molecular biology from Eastern Michigan University and a PhD in immunology & biomedical sciences from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
The convergence of advances in genomics and innovations in genetic medicines have rendered previously intractable diseases treatable and, in some instances, curable. I’m honored to be a part of the RTW Foundation team seeking to extend the potential of genetic medicines to patients with ultrarare disease.