Terry Flotte, MD Appointed New Editor-in-Chief of Human Gene Therapy

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - March 30, 2015 - PRLog -- Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is pleased to announce the appointment of Terry R. Flotte, MD, Executive Deputy Chancellor, Provost, and Dean of the School of Medicine at University of Massachusetts Medical School, as the new incoming Editor-in-Chief of Human Gene Therapy, Human Gene Therapy Methods, and Human Gene Therapy Clinical Development effective July 1, 2015. Dr. Flotte is currently an Associate Editor of the Journal.

We are very grateful to James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, Director of the Gene Therapy Program, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, for his exceptional leadership as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal since 2003. Dr. Wilson, the winner of a Gene Therapy Pioneer Award for his work on basic and clinical AAV vector development, has worked diligently to grow and develop the Journal over the years, including the launch of Human Gene Therapy Methods in 2012 and Human Gene Therapy Clinical Development in 2013. We celebrate Dr. Wilson’s many accomplishments and are delighted that he will remain active on the Journal.

Terence R. Flotte, MD is well known in the gene therapy community. He was the Principal Investigator for the first use of rAAV in humans, in cystic fibrosis trials beginning in 1995, leading to important early safety data and contributing important observations regarding molecular mechanisms of rAAV persistence and immune responses in humans. Dr. Flotte is the author of more than 230 scholarly papers, his published work has been cited close to 7,500 times, and his research has been continuously NIH funded for 22 years. The Flotte lab is currently investigating the delivery of therapeutic genes and microRNA with recombinant vectors for genetic diseases, such as alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency. Dr. Flotte serves on the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and the ASGCT Advisory Council, setting policy and goals for promoting gene therapy research through public education, scientific meetings, and scientific committees.

Alongside his leadership roles, Dr. Flotte has also continued his pediatric practice while pursuing clinical trials and basic laboratory research. Dr. Flotte has received numerous honors and awards, including the E. Mead Johnson award for outstanding scientific contributions from the Society of Pediatric Research in 2005, the Massachusetts Society for Medical Research Award for pioneering work in human gene therapy and his leadership in groundbreaking biomedical research in 2012. In 2013, he was inducted into the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars.

Dr. Flotte is a graduate of the University of New Orleans and the Louisiana State University School of Medicine. He served his residency, fellowship, and postdoctoral training at Johns Hopkins University before joining the faculty at the University of Florida, where he was the Director of the Powell Gene Therapy Center and Genetics Institute and Chair of Pediatrics before joining UMMS as the Executive Deputy Chancellor, Provost, and Dean in 2007.

The editorial transition will begin on May 1, 2015 and Dr. Flotte will take full helm of the Journal on July 1, 2015.

“It is a tremendous opportunity to guide this journal at this unique time when gene therapies are emerging as approved, commercially-available medicines,” says Dr. Flotte. “Human Gene Therapy has a unique place as the only journal that has been with this field since its inception a quarter century ago.”

About the Journal
Human Gene Therapy (http://www.liebertpub.com/hgt) (http://www.liebertpub.com/hgt), the official journal of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy, French Society of Cell and Gene Therapy, German Society of Gene Therapy, and five other gene therapy societies, is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online. Human Gene Therapy presents reports on the transfer and expression of genes in mammals, including humans. Related topics include improvements in vector development, delivery systems, and animal models, particularly in the areas of cancer, heart disease, viral disease, genetic disease, and neurological disease, as well as ethical, legal, and regulatory issues related to the gene transfer in humans. Its sister journals, Human Gene Therapy Methods, published bimonthly, focuses on the application of gene therapy to product testing and development, and Human Gene Therapy Clinical Development, published quarterly, features data relevant to the regulatory review and commercial development of cell and gene therapy products. Tables of content and sample issues for all three publications may be viewed on the Human Gene Therapy (http://www.liebertpub.com/hgt) (http://www.liebertpub.com/hgt) website.

About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers (http://www.liebertpub.com/) (http://www.liebertpub.com/) is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells and Development, and Cellular Reprogramming. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN) (http://www.genengnews.com/) (http://www.genengnews.com/), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers (http://www.liebertpub.com/) (http://www.liebertpub.com/) website.