Michael J. Sofia, the inventor of the Hepatitis C cure, has joined the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center in Doylestown, working towards a cure for Hepatitis B, writes John George for the Philadelphia Business Journal.
Sofia will be the distinguished professor and principal investigator at the Bucks County biotech center, a life sciences incubator and educational hub dedicated to advancing research in liver disease.
He was previously chief scientific officer and co-founder of Arbutus Biopharma for 12 years. The Warminster company started as OnCore Biopharma at the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center.
Sofia is internationally recognized for inventing sofosbuvir in 2007, a breakthrough Hepatitis C therapy developed during his tenure as president and chief scientific officer of Pharmasset, which he also co-founded. The drug’s success culminated in Pharmasset’s acquisition by Gilead Sciences for $11.2 billion four years later.
“Adding a scientist of Sofia’s stature will contribute significantly to the growing global reputation of the Blumberg Institute,” said Louis P. Kassa, CEO of the Blumberg Institute, Hepatitis B Foundation and Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center. “Mike also will be an extremely valuable advisor to our faculty members and a wonderful mentor for our younger scientists.”
Read more about how Michael J. Sofia’s return to Doylestown could help accelerate the search for a Hepatitis B cure in the Philadelphia Business Journal.
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