Leszek Lisowski

I am a Unit Head at the Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) and an Associate Professor at the University of Sydney and at the Military Institute of Medicine in Poland. I obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics in 2008 from Cornell University, New York, NY. I subsequently undertook full-time post-doctoral training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and Stanford University where I strengthened his expertise in vector-based gene therapy approaches using recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV). In 2013 I was recruited by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, CA to run Gene Transfer, Targeting and Therapeutics (GT3) Centre. During my time in La Jolla I obtained an MBA degree from the UC San Diego, Rady School of Management. I relocated to Australia in 2015 to establish my independent research program dedicated to the development and translational studies of novel bioengineered AAV vectors for clinical applications in human liver and other organs. I developed and characterized the first bioengineered AAV capsid to reach human clinical trials, work that led to my first author Nature publication. Over the last 5years my research on gene transfer technology has resulted in 11 patents and has attracted over $10 million in research funding, in addition to $25 million from the NSW Department of Health Office of Health and Medical Research (OHMR) to seed the establishment of a National GMP viral vector manufacturing capability. I am an invited member of the Ethics Committee and the International Committee of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, an invited member of SCHN Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) to the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC), an invited Member of NSW OHMR Viral Vector Clinical Manufacturing Technical Advisory Group and the Viral Vector Commercial, Finance and Procurement Advisory Group. I am also an invited Member of SCHN Advanced Therapeutics Steering Committee, co-chair of SCHN Investigator-led Early Phase Clinical Trial Steering Committee, and invited Member of Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision, Gene Therapy Strategic Advisory Group. In addition to my academic work I am also directly involved with a number of startup companies and I have proven record of commercialisation of research outputs to expedite their clinical development.