Benitec Biopharma Announces Appointment of Sharon Mates Ph.D. to its Board of Directors

Core Insights - Benitec Biopharma Inc. has appointed Dr. Sharon Mates to its Board of Directors, effective November 2, 2025, bringing extensive leadership experience in biotechnology [1][2] - Dr. Mates previously served as Chairman, CEO, and Co-founder of Intra-Cellular Therapies, which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson for approximately $14.6 billion in 2025 [2] - The company is focused on advancing its BB-301 program for Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy (OPMD) and expanding its proprietary "Silence and Replace" DNA-directed RNA interference platform [2][4] Company Overview - Benitec Biopharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company headquartered in Hayward, California, specializing in novel genetic medicines [4] - The "Silence and Replace" platform combines RNA interference with gene therapy to silence disease-causing genes while delivering functional replacement genes [4] - The company is developing therapeutics for chronic and life-threatening conditions, including OPMD [4] Product Details - BB-301 is a novel gene therapy utilizing a modified AAV9 capsid to co-express a functional version of PABPN1 while silencing the mutant version [3] - The therapy aims to address a serious unmet medical need in OPMD by halting the expression of faulty proteins and providing a functional replacement [3]