SkelRegan Names New Director of Scientific Affairs

West Chester, Pa.-based SkelRegen LLC, a small-molecule musculoskeletal tissue regeneration technology company, has welcomed John M. Wozney, Ph.D., as its new director of scientific affairs. He will be charged with setting experimental design and direction; leading collaboration with development partners; building alternative research & development pathways; and optimizing project quality, cost and time variables. Wozney also acquired a minority stake in Skelregen and will serve as one of its key consultants.

Wozney is an expert in the key-signaling molecules involved in the growth and maintenance of bone and soft tissues called bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), and musculoskeletal biology. He joins the SkelRegen team from the Genetics Institute in Cambridge, Mass., (acquired by Wyeth and subsequently Pfizer), where he conducted research leading to the identification of BMP. He then played a key role in the commercialization of a genetically engineered protein (rhBMP-2) and the development of a local delivery system as an innovative bone-inductive therapeutic, which has found widespread use in orthopedics.

In his role at SkelRegen, Wozney brings more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and scientific leadership to help grow the company as it leads the way in small molecule musculoskeletal tissue regeneration.

“John brings a unique set of skills, experience and perspective to our business and we are delighted to have him join the team,” said Stephen R. La Neve, SkelRegen’s co-founder and CEO. “His accomplishments, reputation and understanding of our business will help SkelRegen bring our game-changing technologies to the bedside, and strengthen our business of small molecule musculoskeletal tissue regeneration.”

“John’s knowledge and proficiency in orthobiologics builds on the strength of SkelRegen’s value proposition,” said SkelRegen co-founder and chief medical, science and technology officer, Scott D. Boden, M.D. Boden is also chief medical officer and director of the Emory University Orthopaedic & Spine Hospital and professor of orthopedics at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga. “As director of scientific affairs, John will ensure that SkelRegen’s platform of small molecule technologies for transforming musculoskeletal care continues to provide cutting-edge solutions for those in orthopedic surgery, trauma and plastic surgery.”

“I am thrilled to be part of the SkelRegen team,” said Wozney. “As someone who has been in the industry for almost three decades, I am sure the work that SkelRegen is doing right now is leading the way in orthopaedic small molecule technology and I’m proud to be part of this … approach to musculoskeletal tissue regeneration.”

Wozney is the author of more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and is an inventor on more than 50 issued U.S. patents. He received both his A.B. and Ph.D. degrees in biochemistry from Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., and was a post-doctoral fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology located in the same city.

BMP compounds are, according to SkelRegen, inexpensive to manufacture and have already been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for other applications, which means they already have acceptable safety and toxicity profiles. The company focuses on developing products for healthcare companies working on spine, trauma, dental, orthopedic, osteoporosis, and soft tissue reconstructive challenges.