A gene therapy pioneer: the Jude Samulski story
“I won’t be able to pay you, because I’ll probably never be able to raise money, and people think this is sort of ludicrous. But if we’re successful, we’ll change the world.”
With those words, a scientist named Jude Samulski planted the seed for what has become one of the world’s most successful gene therapy companies that is, in fact, changing the face of medicine.
Today, he serves as chief scientific officer of RhiaPharmaceutical, a company he co-founded in 2001 with life science attorney Sheila Mikhail and Xiao Xiao, PhD, another pioneer and world-leading scientist in the exciting field of gene therapy. The foundational discoveries and advancements of Dr. Samulski and other longtime associates laid the groundwork for gene therapy today. His vision has led to the development of advanced gene therapy and AAV technology that has created a future in which the goal to erase genetic disease is now within sight.
“I won’t be able to pay you, because I’ll probably never be able to raise money, and people think this is sort of ludicrous. But if successful, we’ll change the world.”
– R. Jude Samulski, PhD, 2001
“All that RhiaPharmaceutical represents and much of where gene therapy is today would not be possible without the indelible footprint that Jude Samulski is leaving on the face of healthcare and the most exciting field in bioscience today – gene therapy.”
John Shilling, Partner, TPG Capital