Scientific Advisory Board
Leszek Lisowski
Vectorology Expert
Leszek Lisowski PhD, MBA, is the Unit Head of the Translational Vectorology Research Unit (TVRU) at the Children's Medical Research Institute (CRMI).
Leszek [pronounced: Leshek] is a vectorology expert with over 15 years of experience in developing and manufacturing viral vectors for human gene therapy applications. He was born in a small town in Western Poland. After high school, he received a prestigious Academic Excellence and Leadership Scholarship and enrolled at the University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT, USA where he earned his B.S. in Biology.
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He subsequently joined a doctorate program at Cornell University in New York, NY. He earned his PhD in Molecular Biology and Genetics from the laboratory of Prof. Michel Sadelain, MD PhD at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), for his work on lentiviral vectors for the treatment of β-thalassemia and assessment of vector toxicity and the risk of insertional oncogenesis.
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He then joined the laboratory of Prof. Mark A. Kay, MD PhD at the Stanford University School of Medicine, where he performed his postdoctoral training, studying AAV vectors’ evolution via multispecies interbreeding and retargeting of rAAV. He was subsequently recruited by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, CA where he ran the Gene Transfer, Targeting and Therapeutics Facility (GT3). While in La Jolla, he earned an MBA degree from UC San Diego Rady School of Management and co-founded LogicBio Therapeutics (NASDAQ: LOGC), a gene therapy company.
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In October 2015, Leszek was recruited by CMRI to establish and run the Vector and Genome Engineering Facility (VGEF) and to establish his independent research program, the Translational Vectorology Group (TVG). His research team specialises in the development of novel bioengineered AAV variants for targeted delivery to the target cells in vivo, development of AAV-based gene editing tools and (pre)clinical vector manufacturing. Leszek is currently building a translational research program dedicated to development and implementation of gene therapy solutions for rare genetic disorders of the liver, CNS and the eye. In addition to being a Unit Head at CMRI, Leszek is a conjoint Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney and holds the title of Honorary Faculty at University College London (UCL), London, UK. In December 2016, Leszek was awarded the prestigious grant “Kosciuszko” from the Polish Department of Defence and was appointed the title of Associate Professor at the Military Institute of Hygiene & Epidemiology (MIHE), Biological Threats Identification and Countermeasure Centre in Pulawy, Poland, where he established and heads the Department of Translational Vectorology.
Leszek has a strong passion and proven track record for commercialisation of research outputs. He is the Managing Director of CalypsoBio Consulting, Founding Scientist of Perception Biosystems (a San Francisco based company developing novel AAV therapeutics and manufacturing technologies), Chief Growth Officer (CGO) of Orphinic Scientific, and co-founder and acting Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of ExygenBio (an Australian gene therapy company developing treatment options for rare conditions of the liver and other organs).
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