Biography

Dr. Nagendran is a member of the board of directors for Solid Biosciences

As an accomplished physician, drug developer and biotech executive, Dr. Sukumar Nagendran brings to Solid more than 30 years of experience in key functional areas, including gene therapy development, clinical development strategy, medical affairs and diagnostics.

Dr. Nagendran was most recently the Chief Medical Officer & Senior Vice President of AveXis Inc., prior to the company’s acquisition by Novartis. There, he was responsible for overseeing and driving all clinical development and medical affairs strategy, notably for the company’s late-stage AAV-mediated gene therapy program for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). In his role, Dr. Nagendran also led the company’s interactions with experts in the gene therapy field and helped manage relationships with the investment and rare disease communities.

Prior to AveXis, Dr. Nagendran held key leadership positions at Pfizer, Novartis, Daiichi Sankyo, Reata Pharmaceuticals and Quest Diagnostics. During his tenures at these companies, Dr. Nagendran played significant roles in several high-profile product launches and across multiple functions, including clinical trials/operations, field medical, medical product teams, pricing and reimbursement, publications, and advocacy. He was also instrumental in building the medical affairs department at Quest Diagnostics, one of the largest lab/diagnostics providers in the world.

Prior to moving to the biotech industry, Dr. Nagendran practiced internal medicine, with a focus on diabetes and cardiovascular disease. He is a Mayo Alumni Laureate and founding member of the Robert Wood Johnson Legacy Society. He is also the sponsor for the Fonseca-Nagendran Scholar award at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) to enhance research in minority populations. Dr. Nagendran received his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at Rutgers University and his M.D. at Rutgers Medical School and trained in Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic, Rochester.