About Auregen

Jason Meyenburg joined Auregen Bio as Chief Executive Officer in June of 2022. He has more than 20 years of experience in developing and commercializing therapies for patients with serious conditions.

Prior to joining Auregen, Jason served as President and CEO of Gemini Therapeutics, a company focused on genetically-defined dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and associated rare genetic diseases. Prior to that he was Chief Commercial Officer at Orchard Therapeutics, a company advancing gene therapies for rare diseases, where he was responsible for building out the global commercial operations. During his tenure at Orchard, the company acquired and integrated the gene therapy portfolio from GSK and launched an IPO of $200 million in 2019.

Before Orchard, Jason was Chief Commercial Officer of Vtesse Pharmaceuticals, a company developing a therapy for the rare disease Niemann-Pick C in collaboration with the NIH, and of Sucampo Pharmaceuticals through the acquisition of Vtesse. Before Vtesse and Sucampo, Jason spent 13 years at Alexion Pharmaceuticals in roles of increasing responsibility, including Executive Director Project Management & Japan Operations, Vice President Commercial Operations Northern/Eastern Europe and Middle East/Africa based in Switzerland, and Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, The Americas.

Jason holds an MBA from Duke University and a B.S. in biochemistry from University of Maryland, College Park.

José Manuel (Manny) Otero, PhD joined Auregen in March 2023 and leads our research, CMC development, and manufacturing teams. He comes to Auregen with over 20 years of industry experience in vaccines and complex biologics development, across pre-clinical, clinical-stage and commercial product portfolios. Prior to Auregen, he was CTO and early team member at Turnstone Biologics, leading and expanding bioprocess development, manufacturing, and QC across all viral immunotherapy and TIL cell therapy development programs. He joined Turnstone from Seres Therapeutics, Inc., where he was Vice President of Bioprocess Development and Manufacturing. Dr. Otero oversaw expansion of the group and was the team leader for the first synthetic microbiome therapy to enter clinical studies in the U.S. Dr. Otero started his career at Merck & Co., Inc., where he was Head of Fermentation Development before becoming a Director of Engineering to support multiple commercial vaccine franchises. He earned a Ph.D. in chemical and biological engineering from Chalmers University of Technology, and an M.Eng. in biomedical engineering and a B.S. in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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Pete Weber joined Auregen in September 2023 as our Chief Medical Officer. Pete brings 25 years of multidisciplinary expertise in product development, research, and clinical, focusing on small molecules, gene therapy, device, oncology, neurology, and otolaryngology treatment innovations.

Dr. Weber has previously served as the Chief Medical Officer for both publicly traded and VC-backed biotech companies, including Cochlear Corporation, where he was integral in the development and approval of implantable hearing devices, and three clinical-stage biotechnology companies: Decibel Therapeutics, Frequency Therapeutics and Audion.

Currently he is the Head of Otology, Neurotology, and Skull Base Surgery at Boston University Medical Center.  Previously, Dr. Weber was the Head of Otology, Neurotology, and Skull Base Surgery at Mount Sinai Health System and the Director of the Ear Institute at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. He has also held executive positions at the Medical University of South Carolina, the Cleveland Clinic, and the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.

Pete earned his B.S./M.S. in Engineering from Washington University in Saint Louis, and he holds an MBA from Duke University and an M.D. with Distinction in Research from Albany Medical College.

Gregg Beloff is an accomplished life science executive officer with nearly 30 years of experience leading finance and operations for both venture-backed start-ups and publicly held companies. Prior to founding Danforth Advisors, he designed and executed financial and corporate development strategies as CFO of ImmunoGen (NASDAQ: IMGN) and Archemix. He previously worked as an investment banker with Adams, Harkness & Hill, where he underwrote financings for and provided buy- and sell-side M&A counsel to biotechnology, medical device and healthcare technology companies. He began his career as a corporate attorney with Gaffin & Krattenmaker, a Boston-based law firm. Gregg also built and managed operational departments including finance and accounting, human resources, facilities, corporate communications and information systems. Select achievements include involvement in five IPOs and multiple filings, one SPAC merger, numerous private placements and three acquisitions as CFO to client companies.

Gregg holds a BA from Middlebury College, JD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and MBA from Carnegie Mellon University.

Fereydoun Firouz, a seasoned leader in the biopharma industry, has joined our board of Directors. Fereydoun brings a wealth of experience having previously held influential roles in various organizations. His career includes serving as the past Chairman and CEO of Stallergenes Greer, a leading global biopharma company. Before that, he co-founded and served as the managing partner of Gurnet Point Capital, a key investor in life sciences companies as well as being the managing director at B-Flexion (USA), part of the Swiss-based private, entrepreneurial investment firm.

With over 25 years of dedicated service at the biopharma giant Merck Serono, Fereydoun rose through the ranks to ultimately lead the US business EMD Serono as its President and CEO. His multifaceted background, spanning leadership, investment, and strategic roles, underscores his commitment to advancing innovation and excellence in the life sciences industry.

Fereydoun is a Senior Fellow with the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative and serves on the Belfer Center International Council. He serves on the presidential advisory council at Berklee College of Music and the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. Fereydoun’s diverse interests also extend to the creative realm, where he produced short films and documentaries focusing on Persian art and culture.

Notably, Fereydoun’s past experiences include serving as a Red Cross delegate in Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan war and holding an officer position in the Swiss Army.