About Genexys BioMed
Our Mission
At Genexys BioMed, our mission is to develop the next generation of safe, re-dosable genetic medicines to provide functional cures to patients with debilitating genetic disorders. Built on groundbreaking research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, our non-viral, non-LNP GeneZip platform overcomes key barriers in gene therapy, enabling durable, mutation-agnostic treatments.
Through innovation, collaboration, and a commitment to patient outcomes, we aim to redefine what’s possible in genetic medicine– bring life-changing therapies to those with limited or no treatment options.
Meet Our Leadership Team
Genexys BioMed is led by experts with decades of expierence in gene therapy, drug development, and biopharmaceutical commercialization, bringing deep scientific expertise and business acumen to scale transformative therapies.
David Crampton is the Chief Financial Officer at Orange Grove Bio. David started his professional career working for Mobil Oil in Tokyo. He later worked as a strategy consultant for McKinsey in their offices in New York, Sydney, Auckland and Stamford CT – working with clients across a wide range of industries. David later spent 15 years in senior operating roles with venture-backed and early-stage businesses, focusing primarily on strategy and finance. In 2014, David joined Stroz Friedberg, where he served as Chief People Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and, following Aon’s acquisition of Stroz Friedberg, General Manager – Asia Pacific Region.
David received his B.A from Dartmouth College, his M.B.A in Finance from Columbia Graduate School of Business, and his M.S. in Chemistry / Biochemistry from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.
Hua Liao, Ph.D. oversees preclinical biology and biochemistry as well as biologics drug discovery at Orange Grove Bio. He has over 20 years of experience in drug discovery research in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry with strong expertise and broad knowledge in the areas of preclinical biology, biochemistry and biophysics, biomarker discovery, DMPK, and biotherapeutics. He has worked on numerous drug discovery projects in the areas of oncology and immunology, including both small molecule and protein therapeutics projects, and has contributed to the discovery and development of serval marketed therapeutics. Dr. Liao earned his Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry from The Ohio State University and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School.
Peter Alff is a Senior Venture Partner based in New York City and brings nearly two decades of experience in biomedical science, startup operations, and venture capital investments with an emphasis on partnership building and venture creation with leading academic medical centers. Prior to joining Orange Grove Bio, Peter was Vice President of Partnerships at Owkin where he led partnership and business development efforts in the US. Previously, he was an Executive in Residence with Kairos Ventures where he focused on therapeutics investments and worked closely with scientists from top research universities to launch and manage numerous biotechnology companies as start-up CEO. Peter is also a former Business Development Manager for NYU’s Office of Therapeutics Alliances, where he facilitated company formation based on university technology across multiple areas within the life sciences and is a cofounder of Calder Biosciences, a protein-engineering and vaccine platform company, where he managed preclinical immunogen design and development and was Director of Strategic Initiatives.
Peter completed his postdoctoral training at The Rockefeller University, received his PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Stony Brook University, and completed his undergraduate studies at Muhlenberg College where he received a B.S. degree in Biology.
Dr. Colin Sheehan is an Associate Director at Orange Grove Bio, specializing in leveraging multidisciplinary approaches to solve problems in human health and disease. He obtained his Ph.D. from Dartmouth College in the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, with a thesis focusing on Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence and its link to lung diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis and COPD. Colin is committed to improving outcomes for patients by applying innovative strategies in the life sciences. Additionally, Colin holds a B.A. in Chemistry and Mathematics from Colby College.
Chris Ryan is the Vice President of CMC at Orange Grove Bio. He has over a decade of experience managing internal and external teams developing, testing, and manufacturing cosmetics, drugs, and medical devices. He has worked on developing, manufacturing, and testing drug substances and products for parenteral, respiratory, mucosal, ocular, and oral administration. Dr. Ryan’s experience includes manufacturing cosmetics, small molecule drugs, biologics, and medical devices for indications in wound healing, oral care, transfusion medicine, respiratory disease, immunology, infectious disease, oncology, and gastrointestinal disease. His experience in medical device manufacturing includes product development, commercial manufacturing, and distribution. While his primary responsibilities have been leading manufacturing and quality control, Dr. Ryan has also served as project manager, head of quality assurance, regulatory lead, head of operations, and other supporting roles. He has authored CMC sections for pre-INDs, INDs, and IMPDs. In addition, he has written, submitted, and led correspondence with the FDA of multiple 510ks for medical device clearance. Dr. Ryan has a background in host-pathogen interaction, molecular biology, and biochemistry, focusing on polysaccharide chemistry and RNA biology. He obtained a BS in Biochemistry from the University of Rochester and a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Buffalo.
Laura Crawford is a pharmacologist, board-certified toxicologist, and regulatory affairs professional, bringing 10 years of drug development experience to Orange Grove Bio. She has expertise in identifying novel drug candidates and moving them strategically into development programs. As Senior Director of Drug Development at Orange Grove Bio she oversees programs from discovery and IND candidate selection through IND submission and early clinical development. Prior to joining Orange Grove Bio, Laura worked at Athenex, where she led the nonclinical development efforts for 5 clinical products, primarily in oncology. More recently, Laura worked as an Associate Principal Consultant at SciLucent, providing advisement on nonclinical development strategy and study execution, and as Senior Director of Drug Development at Nirogy Therapeutics.
Laura has contributed to numerous investigational new drug applications (INDs) and new drug applications (NDAs) and was a key contributor to the development of Klisyri® (tirbanibulin) from early preclinical development through FDA/EMA approval.
Laura holds a B.S. in Biology from Canisius College and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Therapeutics from SUNY Buffalo. She is a certified Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology (DABT) and maintains Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC).
Our Story
Genexys BioMed was founded on the belief that genetic medicine should be safe, scalable, and accessible to all patients—regardless of their specific mutation or treatment history. Our journey began with groundbreaking research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where Dr. Assem Ziady and his team pioneered the development of a novel non-viral, non-LNP gene therapy platform to restore CFTR function in CF patients. Their discoveries in polymer-based gene delivery and mucosal gene transfer laid the foundation for Genexys BioMed’s approach to overcoming key barriers in gene therapy.
As a subsidiary of Orange Grove Bio, Genexys BioMed is translating decades of academic research into real-world treatments. Our lead program, GEN-023, is designed to provide a functional cure for CF patients who cannot benefit from existing CFTR modulators. With support from the NIH (NHLBI), Genexys is advancing our lead program through preclinical validation towards first-in-human clinical trials. With a scalable, mutation-agnostic approach, our platform has the potential to transform not only cystic fibrosis treatment but also other monogenic diseases.
By combining scientific excellence with a patient-centered vision, Genexys BioMed is committed to delivering breakthrough genetic therapies that change lives.