Chari Smith

Background

About Chari Smith

I currently serve as VP of R&D in Metabolic Disease at Kriya Therapeutics, a gene therapy company. We focus on AAV gene therapies for metabolic diseases, including rare inherited diseases and diseases with larger populations of unmet medical need such as diabetes. I have previously consulted with biotech companies and university researchers on translational science to take bench discoveries to the next level of industry partnership or other externalization. I served as VP of Nonclinical Research at Metavant Sciences, directing basic pharmacology research as well as NDA-enabling toxicology and pharmacokinetics. Metavant is a subsidiary company of Roivant Sciences focused on small molecule therapeutics for unmet needs in metabolic disease. I consult with Dr. Bonnie Bassler at Princeton University on discovery of small molecule inhibitors of microbial quorum sensing for use as anti-microbial agents. At GSK I served as Biology Leader for North America in Discovery Partnerships with Academia (DPAc). DPAc represents a new approach to early drug discovery. The concept is simple but powerful: bring together the insight and creativity of the academic world with the drug discovery expertise of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to establish integrated partnerships that can translate innovative research into medicines that benefit patients. Prior to my role in DPAc I spent 20 years in the research division of Burroughs Wellcome/GlaxoWellcome/GSK discovering and developing medicines for a variety of therapeutic areas. My longest and deepest expertise is in targeting solute translocating integral membrane proteins for metabolic and urological diseases, and for delivery of antiviral nucleoside prodrugs.