David Lucchino

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David L. Lucchino
Born (1969-02-16) February 16, 1969 (age 55)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Alma materDenison University
Syracuse University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Years active1991 to present
TitleCo-founder, president and CEO, Frequency Therapeutics[1]
Board member ofMassachusetts Biotechnology Council
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
ParentFrank J. Lucchino

David L. Lucchino is co-founder and chief executive officer of Frequency Therapeutics, a biotechnology company based in Lexington, MA.[2][3]

Personal[edit]

A Pittsburgh native, Lucchino graduated in 1987 from Central Catholic High School.[4] He is the son of Judge Frank Lucchino and is the nephew of former Boston Red Sox president Larry Lucchino.[5][6]

Lucchino obtained an MBA degree from MIT Sloan School of Management as an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow.[7] Lucchino also holds a Master of Science degree from Syracuse University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Denison University.[8]

Career[edit]

David began in the life sciences in 2000 as a co-founder at LaunchCyte, a biotechnology investment entity backed by the University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.[9] LaunchCyte has founded and backed numerous companies. These include a portfolio firm that partnered with Biogen to develop a clinical-stage candidate for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and a contract research organization, Reaction Biology, that was sold in 2022 to a private equity firm.[10][11]

In 2006, while earning his MBA at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Lucchino joined a team led by Professor Robert S. Langer to create implant surface technology that prevents blood clotting and infection. Based on that work, Lucchino co-founded, along with Langer, Semprus BioSciences.[12] Lucchino secured $28.5 million in venture capital financing and $5.4 million in federal funding to advance the technology and the company.[13] The team ultimately gained FDA marketing and European CE marketing clearance for the medical device.[14] Teleflex (NYSE: TFX) acquired Semprus in 2012.[15]

Lucchino also worked at the Boston-based venture capital firm Polaris Partners, where he focused on healthcare investing.[16]

In 2013 Lucchino co-founded Frequency Therapeutics, first serving as chair and subsequently taking on the president and CEO roles alongside co-founders Langer and biomedical engineer Jeffrey Karp from Harvard Medical School.[17] Frequency Therapeutics is a regenerative medicine company focused on developing therapeutics to activate a person's innate potential to restore function within the body. The company's initial focus was on cochlear restoration.[18] Lucchino took Frequency public in October of 2019. The company is listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol FREQ.[19]

Today, Frequency's lead program is for remyelination in multiple sclerosis (MS) with a focus on developing a therapeutic that activates oligodendrocyte progenitor cells in the central nervous system to generate new oligodendrocytes and regenerate myelin, potentially repairing damage caused by MS.[20]

Activities[edit]

From 2018 to 2020, Lucchino was chair of MassBio, a 1500-member biotechnology trade association based in Cambridge, MA. During his term, Lucchino led the founding of "Project Onramp", a program that provides internships in life science companies for students from underserved communities.[21] The program has served hundreds of students and has expanded to Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Diego, and New York City.[22]

Former Governor Charlie Baker appointed Lucchino to the Massachusetts STEM Advisory Council; Lucchino is also a member of the College of Fellows for the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering.[23][24] Lucchino is on the boards of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and was part of a NOLS expedition that summited Denali.[25][26]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Mamula, Kris (February 28, 2020). "New commercial lab space in Pittsburgh could exceed 700,000 square feet in a few years". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  2. ^ McLean, Will (2018-03-09). "Toward a true cure for hearing impairment". Science. 359 (6380): 1113.3–1113. doi:10.1126/science.aat0966. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 29590039.
  3. ^ "A Glimpse Into David Lucchino, Cofounder And CEO Of Frequency Therapeutics". Life Science Leader. 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  4. ^ "David Lucchino Career Stats Leagues Statistics & History Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  5. ^ "Lucchino had rooting interest". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  6. ^ Saltzman, Jonathan (February 2, 2018). "Five things you should know about David Lucchino". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  7. ^ "A degree of choice for the older and wiser student". Financial Times. 2012-03-19. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  8. ^ "FREQ Company Profile & Executives - Frequency Therapeutics Inc. - Wall Street Journal". www.wsj.com. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  9. ^ Freese, Peter (2016-04-24). "David Lucchino". SYNAPSE. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  10. ^ "Semprus Biosciences CEO David Lucchino makes use of his scientific curiosity". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  11. ^ "Reaction Biology Announces Closing of Growth Investment from Cobepa and Chief Executive Officer Transition". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  12. ^ "Semprus Biosciences, launched in MIT lab, finds buyer for medical device technology". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  13. ^ Kirsner, Scott (2010-12-13). "Semprus BioSciences lands another $18m". Boston.com. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  14. ^ "Creating a permanent bacteria barrier". Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  15. ^ "Teleflex Incorporated Buys SEMPRUS BioSciences for Up to $80 Million". BioSpace. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  16. ^ "Movers and shakers in tech and biotech". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  17. ^ Kim, Stefani (2017-04-17). "Frequency Therapeutics Receives $32 Million Funding for Drug to Treat Hearing Loss". The Hearing Review. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  18. ^ "Reversing hearing loss with regenerative therapy". MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  19. ^ "Frequency Therapeutics Making the Right Noises, IPO Lockup Expires on Mar.31". Nasdaq.com. January 21, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  20. ^ Maia, Margarida. "Frequency moving to test agents with remyelination potential | FREQ-162 among compounds that might restore myelin sheath in MS". multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  21. ^ "David Lucchino". MassBio. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  22. ^ Cross, Ryan (February 6, 2023). "Boston biotech internship program aims to increase diversity through expansion". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  23. ^ "Massachusetts STEM Advisory Council | Mass.gov". www.mass.gov. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  24. ^ "David Lucchino Dr. David Lucchino Inducted into Medical and Biological Engineering Elite - AIMBE". Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  25. ^ "David L. Lucchino". themmrf.org. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  26. ^ "David Lucchino | NOLS Profile". www.nols.edu. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
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