Tune in on the first of May to hear from the team at Avidity Biosciences on topline data from their EXPLORE44® clinical trial, which is assessing the safety and efficacy of the investigational therapy delpacibart zotadirsen (formerly AOC 1044, abbreviated as del-zota) in people living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy mutations amenable to exon 44 skipping (DMD44).
Topline Data from EXPLORE44® Clinical Trial
Thursday, May 1, 2025
2pm ET | 1pm CT | 12pm MT | 11am PT
Dr. Aravindhan Veerapandiyan is a pediatric neuromuscular specialist at Arkansas Children’s Hospital and an associate professor of pediatrics at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He serves as the Director of the Comprehensive Neuromuscular Programs at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. He is the Co-Director of the Muscular Dystrophy Association Care Center and Director of the PPMD Certified Duchenne Care Center at Arkansas Children’s. Dr. Veerapandiyan earned his medical degree from the K.A.P. Vishwanatham Government Medical College in India. He completed a residency in Child Neurology at Rutgers University – New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey and a fellowship in Neuromuscular Medicine at University of Rochester – Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York. Dr. Veerapandiyan has a passion for clinical research and education. He has published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and has presented his work at national and international meetings. He is actively involved in industry-sponsored clinical trials including gene therapy trials focusing on neuromuscular disorders in children.
Husam Younis serves as the Senior Vice President of Development Sciences and Global Program Head of the DMD franchise at Avidity Biosciences. He has over 20 years experience in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry with focus in research and development. His experience spans multiple drug modalities and therapeutic areas, including rare disease, and has led research and development teams to advance multiple programs from preclinical research to first-in-human, proof -of-concept and pivotal clinical studies. Currently he serves as Global Program Head for del zota (DMD44). He also leads the toxicology, PKPD and biomarker sciences functions at Avidity Biosciences. Prior to Avidity Biosciences, he held positions in leadership roles at NGM Biopharmaceuticals (South San Francisco, CA), Ionis Pharmaceuticals (Carlsbad, CA) and Pfizer Inc (San Diego, CA) in nonclinical development and translational medicine. Graduate training in pharmacology and toxicology and pharmacy practice obtained at College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona.
