Advancing Precision Genetic Therapies With the Potential to Restore, Improve and Preserve Hearing

Sachiyo Minegishi, M.B.A., is Chief Financial Officer of Akouos.  She is a strategic cross-functional leader with twenty years of diverse biotechnology industry experience in roles across finance, business development, commercial and program leadership.  Most recently, Ms. Minegishi led the gene therapy program for Sickle Cell Disease at bluebird bio to initiation of Phase 3 studies and regulatory alignment on clinical path to registration.  Earlier, Ms. Minegishi held leadership roles at Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Human Genome Sciences, Genzyme, and Amgen.  She began her career in investment banking at Merrill Lynch with a focus on execution of equity financing and mergers and acquisitions in the biotechnology industry.  Ms. Minegishi earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Kathy Reape is the Chief Development Officer at Akouos. She brings over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including significant gene therapy translational and development expertise, to Akouos. Most recently, Dr. Reape served as the Chief Medical Officer at Spark Therapeutics, where she was responsible for global clinical programs utilizing gene therapy in rare diseases and was a key member of the team responsible for the U.S. FDA approval and EMA marketing authorization of LUXTURNA®, the first FDA-approved gene therapy for a genetic disease. Earlier, she was senior vice president of clinical development focusing on global brands research and development at Allergan and Actavis. Dr. Reape holds both her undergraduate and M.D. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and completed her internship and residency at the University of Florida and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey

Emmanuel J. (Manny) Simons, Ph.D., M.B.A., is CEO, President, and Co-Founder of Akouos. Dr. Simons is a scientist and entrepreneur with over fifteen years of experience in hearing science research and new venture formation. Prior to founding Akouos, Dr. Simons held leadership roles in business and corporate development at Voyager Therapeutics and Warp Drive Bio, where he was instrumental in leading strategic partnerships with aggregate value exceeding $1 billion. Earlier in his career, Dr. Simons was an Entrepreneurial Fellow at Flagship Ventures, where he was a member of the founding team of Seres Therapeutics. Dr. Simons earned an A.B. magna cum laude in Neuroscience and Music from Harvard College; a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from MIT under Professor Robert Langer; and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.