Frequency Therapeutics Expands its Clinical Development Team, Adding Expertise in Inner Ear Physiology and Translational Science

By: Frequency Therapeutics, Inc. via Business Wire

April 13, 2021 at 07:00 AM EDT

Company Announces Appointment of Jeffery Lichtenhan, Ph.D., to Lead Efforts in Hearing Diagnostics and Measurement; Joins Frequency from Washington University Medical School in St. Louis

Frequency Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: FREQ), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on harnessing the body’s innate biology to repair or reverse damage caused by a broad range of degenerative diseases, today announced the expansion of its clinical development team with the addition of Jeffery T. Lichtenhan, Ph.D., a leading expert in hearing diagnostics and measurement.

Dr. Lichtenhan, an auditory neuroscientist, will help to advance the Company’s hearing clinical development programs, including its lead program, FX-322, which aims to regenerate sensory hair cells to potentially restore hearing for individuals with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). He joins Frequency from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where he was Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology and Audiology and Communication Sciences. Dr. Lichtenhan’s laboratory has aimed to develop novel, clinically relevant measures of auditory dysfunction and he has published more than 25 peer-reviewed studies on this topic.

At Frequency, Dr. Lichtenhan will develop strategies to turn laboratory and clinical observations into new, increasingly sensitive diagnostic methodologies to support development of new therapeutics for acquired sensorineural hearing loss, the most common form of hearing loss.

“We are excited to continue welcoming world-class experts to Frequency and extending our field-leading expertise in hearing science. Jeff’s focus on diagnostics and inner ear dysfunction will support our advancement of the FX-322 hearing restoration program into new clinical studies, and more broadly build upon our novel regenerative medicine platform,” said David L. Lucchino, Frequency’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

Dr. Lichtenhan’s appointment further broadens the Company’s internal audiology and hearing science expertise, as Frequency continues to build out its hearing research and development efforts, while working to define specific patient populations where its lead treatment candidate, FX-322, may have the greatest impact. In February, Frequency announced the appointment of Kevin Franck, Ph.D., who joined the Company as Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing and New Product Planning from Massachusetts Eye and Ear, where he served as Director of Audiology and was on the Harvard Medical School Faculty of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

“I am honored to join the team at Frequency and to have the opportunity to align my research expertise with the Company’s focus on restoring hearing function,” said Dr. Lichtenhan, who joins Frequency in the role of Principal Scientist, Translational Science. “I am thrilled to now build upon the decades of research focused on cellular regeneration and hearing diagnostics and apply it to the Company’s mission of transforming treatment for patients with sensorineural hearing loss.”

Dr. Lichtenhan earned his B.S.G. in Speech-Language and Hearing Science, his M.A. in Audiology and his Ph.D. in Speech-Language and Hearing Science from the University of Kansas. He later completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Auditory Physiology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School in the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories. He holds editorial responsibilities at the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology and the American Journal of Audiology. He is also a board-certified audiologist.

About Frequency Therapeutics

Frequency Therapeutics is a leader in the development of medicines designed to activate progenitor cells within the body to treat degenerative diseases. The Company’s progenitor cell activation (PCA) approach stimulates progenitor cells to create functional tissue with the aim of developing disease modifying therapies. The Company’s lead product candidate, FX-322, is designed to regenerate auditory hair cells to restore hearing function. FX-322 is being evaluated in multiple ongoing clinical studies in patients with sensorineural hearing loss. The Company also is evaluating additional diseases where its PCA approach could create functional tissue, including in a pre-clinical program in multiple sclerosis.

Headquartered in Lexington, Mass., Frequency has an ex-U.S. license and collaboration agreement with Astellas Pharma Inc. for FX-322, as well as additional collaboration and licensing agreements with academic and nonprofit research organizations including Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Mass General Brigham, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Scripps Research Institute and Cambridge Enterprises Limited. For more information, visit www.frequencytx.com and follow Frequency on Twitter @Frequencytx.