Martin K. (Casey) Childers, DO, PhD

Casey has twenty-five years of translational science and clinical leadership experience in the neuromuscular disease (NMD) space focusing on genetic medicine therapeutics, including extensive pharma experience providing strategic guidance in clinical design for neuromuscular therapeutics (botulinum toxins, AAV-mediated gene therapy) and small molecules (anti-spasmodics, analgesics, injectables). As a founding scientific advisor for Audentes Therapeutics, Casey led large animal IND-enabling studies for X-linked myotubular myopathy, which was key in enabling the company’s successful acquisition by Astellas. As Chief Medical Officer for AskBio, Casey built translational and clinical operation teams during a period of rapid fundraising of $235M series-A and corporate growth from a team of 7 to >150 members. He led the clinical development strategy for the first-in-human dosing of AAV therapeutics in Pompe disease, congestive heart failure, and limb-girdle muscular dystrophy programs that all translated into clinical trials for the company. Casey also led clinical operations for two multi-center AAV therapeutic clinical trials in the US, while closely interacting with site PIs, CROs, medical monitors and DSMBs, as well as collaborators in Spain, France and the UK. He exited the company following the successful acquisition by Bayer in 2020. He co-founded Kinea Bio to develop more effective therapeutics for hard-to-cure neuromuscular diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy.