About Us
RheumaGen is a private biotechnology company engineering a new class of therapeutics to cure major autoimmune diseases at their source. RheumaGen focuses on editing the human leukocyte antigen (HLA), or “immune gene,” to develop one-time, curative cell and gene therapies.
Our Story
RheumaGen was founded to relieve the burden that individuals suffering from autoimmune diseases have carried for so long. Mindful also of our own family members who are patients, we are not interested in incremental improvements. We seek cures; we seek remission.
Powered by decades of immunology, histocompatibility, and clinical expertise, our RheumaGen team strives every day to advance the company’s clinical programs and move closer to fulfilling RheumaGen’s vision to cure patients suffering from autoimmune diseases. We are grateful to our partners, investors, and collaborators who share our vision and values, as we work to advance a pipeline of life-changing treatments for autoimmunity.
Management Team
Richard Freed
CEO & Co-Founder
- MBA, University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler
- B.A., Boston College
Richard Freed
CEO & Co-Founder
Richard provides strategic vision and manages daily business activities. While at Dupont for over a decade, he led biotech venture launches, consulted for healthcare management, and oversaw M&A transactions. For instance, he was Venture Manager for the largest joint venture in DuPont’s Industrial Biotech portfolio, a $200M+ JV with BP that created gene-edited yeast cells to produce isobutane rather than ethanol.
Brian Hart
COO & Co-Founder
- J.D., Georgetown Law School
- B.A., Amherst College
Brian Hart
COO & Co-Founder
Brian oversees operations, which includes company finances, IP, and regulatory compliance. He is an experienced business and nonprofit leader, entrepreneur, and attorney. A major inspiration is that his mom has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for over 25 years. Prior to RheumaGen, Brian practiced law for over seven years at Paul Weiss LLP, where he worked on a variety of commercial, IP, and pharmaceutical matters.
Brian Freed
Chief Science Officer & Co-Founder
- Ph.D., Immunology, Albany Medical College
- M.S., Immunology, Albany Medical College
- M.A., Virology, State University Of New York, College At Plattsburgh
- B.A., Biology, State University of New York at Plattsburgh
Accreditations:
- Fellow, American College of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics
- FACT Accredited Director, Stem Cell Processing, Foundation for Accreditation of Cellular Therapy
- Director, FDA-licensed public umbilical cord blood banks (FDA Licenses #1855 and #1873)
- AABB Accredited Director, Umbilical Cord Blood Banking
- Diplomate, American Board of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics
Brian Freed
Chief Science Officer & Co-Founder
Dr. Brian Freed leads RheumaGen’s R&D. He is Professor of Medicine and Immunology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, and he is Founder and Executive Director of CU Anschutz’s ClinImmune, one of the largest nonprofit clinical laboratories in the U.S. ClinImmune has generated over $200M in clinical revenue. Dr. Freed is the lead inventor of RheumaGen’s breakthrough HLA gene-editing therapies. He is a world-class expert in the HLA gene, with over 40 years of experience and more than 100 publications in the areas of immunogenetics, biotherapeutics, histocompatibility, transplantation, and stem-cell banking.
For Dr. Freed’s full CV and complete list of publications, click here.
Selected Publications:
- Roark CL, Anderson KM, Simon LJ, Schuyler RP, Aubrey MT, Freed BM. Multiple HLA epitopes contribute to Type I diabetes susceptibility. Diabetes 63:323, 2014.
- Anderson KM, Roark CL, Portas M, Aubrey MT, Rosloniec EF, Freed BM. A molecular analysis of the shared epitope hypothesis. Binding of arthritogenic peptides to DRβ1*04 alleles. Arthritis Rheum 68:1627, 2016.
- Anderson KM, Stastny T, Freed BM. Binding of carbamylated collagen258-272 to HLA-DR alleles associated with susceptibility and resistance to RA. Arthritis Rheum 68:2051, 2016.
- Roark CL, Anderson KM, Aubrey MT, Rosloniec EF, Freed BM. Arthritogenic peptide binding to DRβ1*01 alleles correlates with susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis. J Autoimmunity 72:25, 2016.
Clinical Trial Experience:
- IND #11084 for human islet transplantation at the University of Colorado (2003-2004).
- IND 10-CBA (sponsored by National Marrow Donor Program) for umbilical cord blood transplantation (2005-present).
- BLA #1855 for HPC Cord Blood at ClinImmune Labs (May 2012-present).
- BLA #1873 for AlloCord (HPC Cord Blood) for St. Louis Cord Blood Bank (2018-present).
- IDE CD34 Isolation from Haploidentical Donors for Cord Blood Transplantation (2018-2022).
- IND #18416 Phase I Open Label Safety Study of Umbilical Cord Lining Mesenchymal Stem Cells (CorliCyte®) to Close Chronic Diabetic Wounds (2019-2022).
Patents:
- U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial Number 62/655,198: A Method of Transporting Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Means of a Transporting Solution and a Method of Administering Stem Cells to Wounds, filed on April 9, 2018.
- U.S. Patent PCT/US2018/029302; Methods of Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis Using RNA-Guided Genome Editing of HLA Gene, International filing April 25, 2018.
- U.S. Patent PCT/US2022/028645; Pocket Engineering of HLA Alleles for Treating Autoimmunity, filed May 10, 2022.
Ryan Hart
Chief Legal Officer
- J.D., Georgetown Law School
- B.A., magna cum laude, Middlebury College
Ryan Hart
Chief Legal Officer
Ryan oversees corporate legal matters, licensing, and HR, and serves on the Board of Directors of RheumaGen Australia. Ryan was RheumaGen’s primary, outside legal counsel during the company’s formation and joined full time in 2021. A major inspiration is that his mom has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for over 25 years. He is an experienced corporate attorney in the fields of business law, internal investigations, and commercial litigation. Prior to private practice, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney and state prosecutor in Pittsburgh, PA and Baltimore, MD, respectively.
Tate Hermanson
Vice President, Finance
- M.B.A., University of Colorado
- B.S., Finance, University of Colorado
Tate Hermanson
Vice President, Finance
Tate manages accounting and finance for RheumaGen. He has 20 years of experience overseeing financial and accounting aspects of cell and gene therapy development. He specializes in managing finances and accounting for healthcare related businesses, helping them make efficient use of capital to achieve the best outcomes for patients. In addition to his work at RheumaGen, Tate is also the Director of Finance for the Department of Medicine at the University of Colorado. Tate oversees the finances of all seventeen divisions within the Department, whose clinical specialties bill ~$300M per year, and he is responsible for negotiating direct hospital contracts that total ~$50M per year.
B Robert Mozayeni, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
- Fellowship, Rheumatology, National Institute of Health Clinical Center (1991-1994)
- Fellowship, Rheumatology, Yale-New Haven Medical Center (1990-1991)
- MD, Albany Medical College
B Robert Mozayeni, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Mozayeni joined RheumaGen in 2023 and oversees clinical development. He is an internist, rheumatologist, and medical scientist. He has over 30 years of experience in private practice, specializing in the evaluation and treatment of inflammatory diseases, particularly treatment-resistant autoimmune patients. In addition to his work for RheumaGen, Dr. Mozayeni has continued his medical practice and is the founding lab director of T Lab. He has published papers on immunology, inflammation, and cerebrovascular blood flow hemodynamics. He has presented his work at numerous U.S. and international conferences. He holds over eight U.S. and international patents. At Yale-New Haven Medical Center, Dr. Mozayeni completed an Internal Medicine Residency, a Fellowship in Rheumatology, and a Post-doctoral Fellowship in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry, with a focus on the molecular basis of autoimmune diseases. He was a Howard Hughes Research Scholar and completed a rheumatology fellowship at NIH.
Board of Directors
Bruce Goodwin
Director
Bruce Goodwin
Director
Bruce has over four decades of experience in the life sciences sector and currently serves on the boards of six healthcare organisations. Bruce previously served as Managing Director, Australia, and Company President, Japan, for the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. He has substantial experience at the board level of industry bodies in both countries.
Brian Freed
Director
- Ph.D., Immunology, Albany Medical College
- M.S., Immunology, Albany Medical College
- M.A., Virology, State University Of New York, College At Plattsburgh
- B.A., Biology, State University of New York at Plattsburgh
Accreditations:
- Fellow, American College of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics
- FACT Accredited Director, Stem Cell Processing, Foundation for Accreditation of Cellular Therapy
- Director, FDA-licensed public umbilical cord blood banks (FDA Licenses #1855 and #1873)
- AABB Accredited Director, Umbilical Cord Blood Banking
- Diplomate, American Board of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics
Brian Freed
Director
Dr. Brian Freed leads RheumaGen’s R&D. He is Professor of Medicine and Immunology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, and he is Founder and Executive Director of CU Anschutz’s ClinImmune, one of the largest nonprofit clinical laboratories in the U.S. ClinImmune has generated over $200M in clinical revenue. Dr. Freed is the lead inventor of RheumaGen’s breakthrough HLA gene-editing therapies. He is a world-class expert in the HLA gene, with over 40 years of experience and more than 100 publications in the areas of immunogenetics, biotherapeutics, histocompatibility, transplantation, and stem-cell banking.
For Dr. Freed’s full CV and complete list of publications, click here.
Selected Publications:
- Roark CL, Anderson KM, Simon LJ, Schuyler RP, Aubrey MT, Freed BM. Multiple HLA epitopes contribute to Type I diabetes susceptibility. Diabetes 63:323, 2014.
- Anderson KM, Roark CL, Portas M, Aubrey MT, Rosloniec EF, Freed BM. A molecular analysis of the shared epitope hypothesis. Binding of arthritogenic peptides to DRβ1*04 alleles. Arthritis Rheum 68:1627, 2016.
- Anderson KM, Stastny T, Freed BM. Binding of carbamylated collagen258-272 to HLA-DR alleles associated with susceptibility and resistance to RA. Arthritis Rheum 68:2051, 2016.
- Roark CL, Anderson KM, Aubrey MT, Rosloniec EF, Freed BM. Arthritogenic peptide binding to DRβ1*01 alleles correlates with susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis. J Autoimmunity 72:25, 2016.
Clinical Trial Experience:
- IND #11084 for human islet transplantation at the University of Colorado (2003-2004).
- IND 10-CBA (sponsored by National Marrow Donor Program) for umbilical cord blood transplantation (2005-present).
- BLA #1855 for HPC Cord Blood at ClinImmune Labs (May 2012-present).
- BLA #1873 for AlloCord (HPC Cord Blood) for St. Louis Cord Blood Bank (2018-present).
- IDE CD34 Isolation from Haploidentical Donors for Cord Blood Transplantation (2018-2022).
- IND #18416 Phase I Open Label Safety Study of Umbilical Cord Lining Mesenchymal Stem Cells (CorliCyte®) to Close Chronic Diabetic Wounds (2019-2022).
Patents:
- U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial Number 62/655,198: A Method of Transporting Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Means of a Transporting Solution and a Method of Administering Stem Cells to Wounds, filed on April 9, 2018.
- U.S. Patent PCT/US2018/029302; Methods of Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis Using RNA-Guided Genome Editing of HLA Gene, International filing April 25, 2018.
- U.S. Patent PCT/US2022/028645; Pocket Engineering of HLA Alleles for Treating Autoimmunity, filed May 10, 2022.
Richard Freed
Director
- MBA, University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler
- B.A., Boston College
Richard Freed
Director
Richard provides strategic vision and manages daily business activities. While at Dupont for over a decade, he led biotech venture launches, consulted for healthcare management, and oversaw M&A transactions. For instance, he was Venture Manager for the largest joint venture in DuPont’s Industrial Biotech portfolio, a $200M+ JV with BP that created gene-edited yeast cells to produce isobutane rather than ethanol.
Thomas Fratacci
Director
Thomas has a Masters from EDHEC Business School in France.
Thomas Fratacci
Director
Thomas is Group CFO of SPRIM GLOBAL INVESTMENTS, overseeing Finance for the Sprim portfolio and TrialCap activities. He is responsible for all finance functions within the Group, focusing more specifically on financing rounds and exits for portfolio investments. He sits at the board of several portfolio companies. Thomas has 20 years of experience in corporate finance and business management in B2B environment. Prior to SPRIM, Thomas started his career in financial audit and advisory services, with Arthur Andersen, EY, and KPMG. He spent 10 years with the WPP Group as CFO and then CEO for Kantar AV France, overseeing consulting activities in France, Italy, and Russia. Thomas also participated in several successful startup projects in Europe and the US.
Scientific Advisory Board
Prof. George Schett, M.D.
Advisor
Dr. Schett earned his medical degree from the University of Innsbruck in Austria, and completed his specialty training in internal medicine and rheumatology at the University of Vienna.
Prof. George Schett, M.D.
Advisor
Dr. Schett is the Vice President of Research at Friedrich- Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. He is an internationally recognized rheumatologist who has published more than 750 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has been invited to more than 650 congresses and conferences worldwide. Dr. Schett’s paper on the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most widely cited in the field. He also served on the committee for the European League Against Rheumatism (which is the European equivalent of the American College of Rheumatology) that adopted an official definition for difficult-to-treat patients.
University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus
RheumaGen works closely with dedicated physicians and research scientists at the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus. Our partnership with CU Anschutz’s ClinImmune, one of the largest nonprofit clinical laboratories in the U.S., bolsters our manufacturing capabilities and enables us to expeditiously advance our programs through CGT regulatory approval processes. ClinImmune was founded by RheumaGen’s Chief Science Officer, Dr. Brian Freed, and has a proven record of success for over 25 years, including more than 40,000 organ and stem cell transplant patients; 30 active cell therapy trials; and 2 U.S. FDA licenses.
