Management
Genable's core management team consists of highly qualified individuals who have worked together to transfer a significant patent estate from the University into a well-funded biotechnology company that is currently focused on leveraging value from these intellectual property assets.
Professor Jane Farrar
Professor Jane Farrar is a Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Genable Technologies. She holds a primary degree in Genetics, a Ph.D in Human Genetics and a diploma focused on Management in Science.
She is an Associate Professor in the Smurfit Institute of Genetics, School of Genetics & Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Ireland teaching Gene Therapy, Transgenics & Pharmacogenomics and coordinator of the Human Genetics BA degree programme, TCD.
Professor Farrar is a member of the Executive Council of the Irish Society for Gene and Cell Therapy, she served on the Life Science Committee of the Royal Irish Academy from (2003–2009) and was a Council Member of the Irish Society of Human Genetics (1999–2006). She served on the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board of Fighting Blindness Ireland for many years and currently is on both the Curriculum Committee of the Smurfit Institute of Genetics, TCD and the Technical Staff Promotions Committee, TCD. She was the recipient of a Wellcome Trust Award Fellowship (1997-2002) and was a member of the Irish Government Technology Foresight Initiative (1998).
Professor Farrar can be contacted at gjfarrar@genable.ie
Dr. Paul Kenna
Dr. Paul Kenna is a Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Genable Technologies. He is a Clinical Ophthalmologist and Surgeon, a Director of the Ocular Genetics Unit, TCD and a Clinical Lecturer in Ophthalmic Genetics at the Research Foundation of the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital Dublin, Ireland.
Dr. Kenna is a member of the Irish Academy of Ophthalmology and the Royal College of Physicians.
Dr. Kenna can be contacted at pfkenna@genable.ie
Board of Directors
Chairman, Geoffrey Vernon
Dr Vernon is a former Executive Director of Rothschild Asset Management and partner of the venture capital group Advent Limited. He has over 20 years experience in Healthcare and Life Sciences. He is a Non-Executive Chairman and Director of a number of quoted and privately owned companies and has sat on the Boards of over 45 companies in Europe and the US. He was the first Chartered Director of the Institute of Directors.
Ena Prosser
Ena is a Partner in Fountain Healthcare Partners and part of the team that raised a €75M dedicated life science venture capital fund in April 2008. Ena is a PhD Immunologist with a broad background in international alliance and intellectual property management. She has led rigorous due diligence projects on technologies and products within the Specialty Pharma, diagnostic, device and biotechnology areas.
Ena was formerly Director of Enterprise Ireland BIO. In this role, she led a team to identify, fund, protect and exploit relevant Intellectual Property, commercialise lifescience technologies and review investment opportunities in R&D.
Prior to Enterprise Ireland, Ena held various R&D and project management roles within Elan Corporation and had extensive involvement in research, licensing and acquisition projects over a 10-year period.
Dr. Joey Mason
Dr. Mason joined Delta Partners in 2003, specialising in Life Science investments. Having trained as a physician, Dr Mason spent five years as an investment banker in the Healthcare market with Morgan Stanley International and Technomark in London, UK. From 1995 until 1999 he was Director of Corporate Development at Biotrin Holdings plc, an Irish biotechnology company backed by Delta Partners and other VCs. In 2000 he co-founded and managed Eumom Ltd., a marketing services business which operates websites for pregnant women in Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and the UK. He is a Director of Eumom Marketing Ltd.
A medical graduate of TCD, he is a Fellow of the RSA.
Professor Alan Boyd
Professor Alan Boyd is a Board member and Development and Regulatory Consultant for Genable and a Non-Executive Director of the Company. He began his 27 years' pharmaceutical career with Glaxo Group Research Ltd. From 1988 he led ICI's cardiovascular medical research team, later assuming the role of Director of Clinical and Medical Affairs at ICI Pharma, Canada. In 1995 he became Global Head of Medical Research for Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, being responsible for the clinical development of the Company's portfolio. In 1999 he became Director of Research and Development for Ark Therapeutics Ltd (LSE: AKT) where he was responsible for delivering the majority of key development milestones that shaped the Company. In particular, he led the development of their gene based medicines portfolio, which culminated in the filing of the first MAA for a gene therapy in the Western World. The product was Cerepro® and is indicated for the treatment of malignant glioma. In 2005, he set up Alan Boyd Consultants Ltd. The focus of which is to aid and support early stage Life Science based companies like Genable. His clients now include many companies in Europe, North America and Japan who are devoted to the development of cell- and gene-based medicines.
A graduate in Biochemistry and Medicine from the University of Birmingham, UK, Professor Boyd is also a Fellow, Board Member and Chair of the Specialist Advisory Committee in Pharmaceutical Medicine at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, Royal College of Physicians, UK.
In 2009 he was appointed an Honorary Professor in the College of Medical and Dental Sciences at the University of Birmingham Medical School, UK, in recognition of his expertise in medicines development.
John Monahan
Dr. Monahan Co-Founded Avigen Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGN) in 1992, a company that has become a leader in its sector for the development of novel pharmaceutical products for the treatment of serious human diseases. Over a 12 year period as CEO of Avigen he raised over $235M in several private and public financings including its IPO. Prior to that he was VP of R&D at Somatix Therapy Corp., Alameda, CA (1989-1992). Prior to that he was Director of Molecular & Cell Biology at Triton Biosciences Inc., Alameda, CA (1985-1989). Prior to that he was Research Group Chief, Department of Molecular Genetics, Hoffmann-LaRoche, Inc. Nutley, and a member of the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology. NJ, (1982-1985). From 1975 to 1977 he was an Instructor at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX. He received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 1974 from McMaster University, Canada and his B.Sc. from University College Dublin, Ireland in 1969. Dr Monahan is a board member of Tacere Therapeutics, CA. He also a board member of a number of Irish biotech companies.
