- Experienced quality assurance professional joins team to support ongoing strategic growth plans as the Company expands access and capabilities of INDUCE-seq DNA break mapping platform
- Expansion to leadership team follows recent appointments of Vincent Smith as Chief Technology Officer, and Jessica Rich, as Vice President of Business Development
Cambridge, UK, 22 November 2023: Ƶ (“Broken String”), a genomics company that has built a technology platform to drive the development of cell and gene therapies that are safer by design, today announced the appointment of Gavin Burns, PhD, as Vice President of Quality and Operations. With an extensive background leading quality assurance in the genomics sector, Gavin will be responsible for building and optimizing Broken String’s teams, processes, and systems. His appointment will enable the Company to develop and scale its Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)-based DNA break-mapping platform, INDUCE-seq™, furthering the technology’s capabilities in supporting gene-editing applications.
Gavin brings over 20 years’ experience in research, operations, and quality assurance from across the genomics sector to Broken String, including as Associate Director of Quality at Illumina, where he provided pivotal support on the set up and operations for the accredited Illumina Laboratory Services in the UK, enabling them to provide the sequencing services for the successful NHS/Genomics England 100,000-genome project. Prior to joining Broken String, Gavin held senior quality and operational roles at several UK-based start-ups, most recently serving as Director of Quality and Operations at Biocrucible. In this position, Gavin led expansion of staff, facilities, and processes, including rapid implementation of an ISO 13485 quality management system. He holds a PhD in Genomics from the British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, and Gothenburg University, Sweden.
Felix Dobbs, PhD, Chief Executive Officer at Ƶ, commented: “Gavin’s expertise in quality strategy and implementing robust processes will be key to executing our growth plans as part of our Series A goals. As well as supporting scale-up operations in these areas, Gavin will ensure that our INDUCE-seq platform meets the quality needs of our partners who are developing the next generation of transformative gene editing therapies. We are thrilled to have Gavin on board as we build towards a future where gene editing therapies can be safely delivered to all who need it.”
Gavin Burns, PhD, VP Quality and Operations at Ƶ, said: “The INDUCE-seq technology offered by Ƶ has the potential to transform development of gene edited cell and gene therapies. I look forward to working closely with the rest of the team at Ƶ to support scale-up and growth at this exciting time, and ensure processes are optimized so that we can continue to deliver high quality and cutting-edge technology that meets the needs of our customers.”
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