BEDFORD, Mass., April 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapies for rare and ultrarare diseases, today announced Dennis Huang, chief technical operations officer and executive vice president, gene therapy, has been named to the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio) board of directors.

Huang is among six life-science executives asked to join the board at MassBio, the oldest biotechnology trade association in the U.S. representing more than 1,600 companies, academic institutions, research hospitals and service organizations involved in life sciences and healthcare. As a member of the board, Huang will support MassBio’s mission to advance Massachusetts’ leadership in the life sciences, to grow the industry, add value to the healthcare system and improve patient lives.

“I am honored to join the board at MassBio, a leader in and powerful partner to this globally recognized ecosystem of life-science innovation,” Huang said. “MassBio and Ultragenyx share a commitment to supporting research and policies that advance innovation. I look forward to taking a leading role in an organization focused on helping our industry deliver for patients and address unmet medical needs.”

At Ultragenyx, Huang leads the technical and pharmaceutical development, manufacturing and supply chain functions covering broad technical modalities like small molecules, recombinant proteins, nucleic acid medicines and AAV gene therapy. This includes product approvals and launches for Mepsevii ®, Crysvita® and Dojolvi®. In addition, Mr. Huang is the executive team member responsible for the gene therapy platform strategy, research, product development, manufacturing and supply chain.

Prior to joining Ultragenyx, Huang held senior leadership roles at InterMune Inc., Allergan, Inc., Novartis AG (formerly Chiron, Inc), Genentech, Inc., and Synergen (currently Amgen). He currently serves on the Board of two privately held biotechnology companies; CytoDel and Ornovi.

With more than 300 employees in Massachusetts - a quarter of its global workforce - Ultragenyx continues to expand in the state as the company grows its gene therapy pipeline. In addition to its offices in Woburn and Cambridge, the company recently finished construction of a 100,000-square-foot gene therapy manufacturing facility on a 10.7-acre site in Bedford that will officially open in June 2023.

Joining Huang on MassBio’s board are Lauren Celano, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Propel Careers; Michael Luther, Ph.D., MBA; Stacia Reidy MacNaught, Vice President, External and Community Affairs, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Michael Shafer, Senior Vice President and President, Pharma Services, Thermo Fisher Scientific; and Jennifer Wipf, Head of Commercial, Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc. All the new board members were formally voted in at the State of Possible Conference on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.  

“We are excited to have Dennis join MassBio’s board as we write the next chapter of growth for the life sciences industry,” said Kendalle Burlin O’Connell, MassBio CEO & President. “Dennis and these other new board members come from some of the biggest names in the Commonwealth’s life sciences cluster, and their diverse perspectives will be valuable for helping our ecosystem navigate the years ahead.”

About Ultragenyx

Ultragenyx is a biopharmaceutical company committed to bringing novel products to patients for the treatment of serious rare and ultrarare genetic diseases. The company has built a diverse portfolio of approved therapies and product candidates aimed at addressing diseases with high unmet medical need and clear biology for treatment, for which there are typically no approved therapies treating the underlying disease. The company is led by a management team experienced in the development and commercialization of rare disease therapeutics. Ultragenyx’s strategy is predicated upon time- and cost-efficient drug development, with the goal of delivering safe and effective therapies to patients with the utmost urgency.

For more information on Ultragenyx, please visit the company's website at: www.ultragenyx.com.

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