RARE - Lisa Deschamps

Rewriting the Future of Neurodegenerative Disease: Lisa Deschamps on AviadoBio’s Bold Path Forward

In the latest episode of the RARE, Lisa Deschamps, CEO of AviadoBio, joined Principal Consultant, Laura Hulley, to discuss her career journey, the company’s mission to transform the lives of patients with neurodegenerative disease, and the exciting milestones shaping AviadoBio’s next chapter.

 

 

 

 

From Big Pharma to Biotech Visionary

Lisa Deschamps’ career began at Novartis, where she spent over 25 years developing her expertise across multiple therapeutic areas and global markets. Her final years there proved pivotal.

“My last few years at Novartis, I was leading our neuroscience business, both in the U.S. and globally,” she said. “My team led the acquisition of Avexis, a CNS gene therapy company, and I had the privilege after completing the acquisition and the integration, to lead the worldwide commercialisation of the acquired portfolio.”

That portfolio included Zolgensma, a groundbreaking gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Witnessing its impact firsthand proved transformative.

“To see the effect that a gene therapy like Zolgensma can have - not only on an individual patient or family, but on a community at large - was the most transformational role I’d ever had in my career. It made me want to do more of this, in a much bigger way.”

 

The Leap to AviadoBio

After decades in a large organisation, Deschamps sought a more entrepreneurial environment, one that could combine cutting-edge science with patient-centred speed.

“For me, going into biotech was more of a when rather than an if,” she reflected. “I met Professor Chris Shaw, one of the scientific founders of AviadoBio, and heard about the important work he was doing in a very novel and innovative way to solve some of the most complex challenges that exist today in neuroscience. It inspired me tremendously.”

Taking the leap was no small decision: when she joined, AviadoBio was a 12-person startup with only months of funding runway. “It was a risk, but it’s been an amazing journey ever since.”

 

Partnerships at the Core

For Deschamps, collaboration sits at the heart of innovation.

“To get therapies not only through the development and regulatory cycles, but then onto the market and into the hands of patients and families who need them, it takes a village and a tremendous collaborative effort.”

In October 2024, AviadoBio announced its first major partnership with Astellas Pharma, granting Astellas an exclusive worldwide licence option for Aviado’s lead programme in frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

“With the collaboration and the like-minded culture of Astellas, we really believe it’s a validation of the important work we’re doing,” she noted. “It will enable us to potentially bring the therapy to patients faster, better, and more globally.”

A second collaboration soon followed with UgeneX, which was recently announced in October 2025. The deal focused on optogenetics for inherited retinal disorders such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) - a programme already in the clinic and showing early promise.

 

Clinical Milestones and Pipeline Progress

AviadoBio’s pipeline is advancing quickly toward its goal of bringing three programmes into the clinic by 2027. Two are already there.

AVB-101, the company’s lead programme, targets frontotemporal dementia caused by mutations in the GRN gene (FTD-GRN).

“Our goal is to restore progranulin levels to as close to normal as possible,” Deschamps explained. “We treated our very first patient in March 2024, and we’re now in the third cohort of our Phase 1/2 trial.” The open-label study’s primary endpoint is safety, with early data expected in 2026.

The company’s second programme (AVB-307) developed with UgeneX focuses on RP and other inherited retinal disorders, aiming to restore vision loss through optogenetic therapy. Proof-of-concept data are anticipated by the end of 2026.

Finally, AviadoBio’s third programme leverages a proprietary microRNA gene-silencing platform aimed at larger disease areas such as Alzheimer’s, MAPT, and other tauopathies. The company expects to begin toxicology studies in 2026, with first-in-human trials by early 2027.

“It’s an exciting time for us,” Deschamps said. “We’re well on our way to bringing that vision of three programmes in the clinic and, ultimately one day into the hands of patients, a reality.”

 

Looking Ahead: Staying True to the Mission

When asked what to expect from AviadoBio in 2026 and beyond, Deschamps was clear: focus and execution come first.

“We are heads down, fully focused on executing these programmes to a place where we can move them all through to the next major milestones. The quicker we can get through the clinical development programme and the important regulatory milestones, the quicker we can get these into patients’ hands. That’s our North Star, and we never lose sight of it.”

 

A Shared Vision for the Future

AviadoBio’s mission - to translate groundbreaking science and precision delivery into potentially life-changing medicines across neurodegenerative diseases - isn’t just a tagline. Under Lisa Deschamps’ leadership, it’s a guiding principle that shapes every scientific, clinical, and strategic decision.

As the company moves closer to its next data readouts and partnerships, one thing remains clear: AviadoBio is positioning itself as a driving force in next-generation neuroscience and gene therapy innovation.

“It’s all about bringing hope,” Deschamps concluded. “Hope to patients, families, and communities who have been waiting far too long for breakthroughs that truly change lives.”

 

Thank you so much to Lisa for her feature on RARE.

More information about AviadoBio can be found here: https://aviadobio.com/