About Us

About Us - Rocket employees at work

Mission, Vision & Values

Rocket’s unique set of core values – “Trust,” “Curiosity,” ”Generosity” and “Elevate” – is a true beacon of hope within and outside the company. Trust is the bedrock, the ground upon which everything is built. Generosity and curiosity, derived from the same root words as “gene” and “cure,” describe a spirit of giving, aspiring for something greater than oneself, and humility in the search for excellence. Ultimately, the company’s associates and partners seek to elevate themselves, one another and the lives of patients and families around the world through gene therapy.

Trust

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Trust is given, and trust is earned – it’s a balance. The word "trust" comes from the Proto-Indo-European word "deru" which means “to be firm, solid, steadfast.” Trust is the ground and foundation for everything we do.

Generosity

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Being generous means following up, sharing our best ideas, forgiving ourselves and others, asking who needs us, treating our word as gold, taking time to truly see others, and so many other things. The word "generous" has the same root as the word “gene” – which meant “to beget.” Genes thrive on the generosity of others. What more is there to say?

Curiosity

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The wonder of a child staring up at the night sky. Humility, egolessness. No single one of us can do this job alone, and it is ok to ask for help. Curiosity is derived from the Latin word “cura” which gave birth to the word “care” as well as “cure.” Generosity is to curiosity what gene is to cure.

Elevate

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Derived from the Latin word “levis” which means “light” as opposed to heavy. How can we bring trust, generosity and curiosity to elevate ourselves, each other, the pipeline and ultimately the life experience of patients and their families?

“For the first time in the history of our species, we are discussing not just effective treatments but potentially total cures at the genetic level, which is the deepest essence of who we are as physical living beings.”

— Gaurav Shah, MD

History

July 14, 2015
October 2015
December 2015
H1 2016
March 2016
H1 2016
July 2016
February 2017
September 2017
H2 2017
January 4, 2018
May 2018
June 2018
July 2018
October 2018
November 2018
November 2018
January 2019
February 2019
October 2019
December 2019
H2 2020
July 2020
December 2020
February 2021
June 2021
December 2021
February 2022
March 2022
May 2022
July 2022
July 2022
September 2022
December 2022
December 2022
January 2023
February 2023
February 2023
May 2023
May 2023
May 2023
June 2023
September 2023
October 2023
Timeline Photo

Rocket becomes incorporated with initial idea and funding from RTW Investments

Timeline Photo

Gaurav Shah, MD becomes CEO of Rocket

Timeline Photo

Rocket closes Series A financing

Jonathan Schwartz, MD and Kinnari Patel, PharmD, MBA

Jonathan Schwartz, MD and Kinnari Patel, PharmD, MBA join Rocket team

Timeline Photo

Rocket licenses Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD) program

Timeline Photo

The growing team moves to the Alexandria Center of Life Sciences in NYC

Rocket licenses Fanconi Anemia (FA) program

Rocket licenses Danon Disease program

Timeline Photo

Rocket licenses Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I) program

Rocket closes Series B financing

Timeline Photo

Rocket goes public with only 12 employees

Timeline Photo

Rocket announces first clinical data for Fanconi Anemia (FA) program at American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) annual meeting

Rocket licenses Infantile Malignant Osteopetrosis (IMO) program

Rocket headquarters moves to Empire State Building

IND for Fanconi Anemia accepted by U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Rocket announces the Danon Disease program

IND for Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I) accepted by U.S. Food and Drug Administration

IND for Danon Disease accepted by U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Rocket hosts inaugural Rare Disease Day 

IND for Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD) accepted by U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Timeline Photo

Rocket announces first clinical data for Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency – I (LAD-I) program at American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting

Rocket opens new facility in new jersey

Rocket opens state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Cranbury, New Jersey

Rocket Celebrates 5 Years

Rocket Celebrates 5 Years

December 2020 News Release

Rocket presents updated, positive data in PKD, FA and LAD-1 at ASH and in Danon disease, representing possibly the first viable gene therapy approach for cardiac diseases.

February 2021 RARE Disease Month

Rocket again celebrates Rare Disease Day by lighting up iconic buildings and hosting webinar featuring rare disease community advocates, including Abbey Meyers.

Rocket hosts its more than 130 employees for a summer townhall and team building event at its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Cranbury, NJ.

Rocket holds spring townhall featuring inspirational LAD-I patient family and professional development workshops.

May-2022-Cell-Therapy-Annual Meeting

Rocket presents top-line pivotal data from FA and LAD-I programs at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Annual Meeting.

Rocket achieves Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) readiness milestone for state-of-the-art AAV manufacturing facility in Cranbury, N.J.

December 2022 - ASH Presentation - Timeline photo

Rocket presents positive updated data from the Phase 2 pivotal study for Fanconi Anemia and longer-term follow-up from the Phase 2 study for PKD at the 64th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting.

Rocket celebrates Rare Disease Day

Rocket celebrates Rare Disease Day by hosting inspiring event at Make A Wish New Jersey and advancing Light Up for Rare initiative.

(ASGCT) Annual Meeting 2023

Rocket presented data from PKD, FA, LAD-I, Danon Disease and PKP2-ACM programs at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Annual Meeting.

Leadership

Gaurav Shah, MD

Chief Executive Officer

Kinnari Patel, PharmD, MBA

Kinnari Patel, PharmD, MBA

President & Chief Operating Officer

Mayo Pujols

Mayo Pujols

Chief Technical Officer, EVP

Isabel Carmona, JD

Isabel Carmona, JD

Chief Human Resources Officer, SVP

Carlos Martin

Chief Commercial Officer

Raj Prabhakar, MBA

Chief Business Officer, SVP

Gayatri R. Rao, MD, JD

Chief Development Officer of LVV, SVP

Jonathan Schwartz, MD

Chief Gene Therapy Officer, SVP

Mark White, MB.ChB

Chief Medical Officer, SVP

Martin Wilson, JD

General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, SVP

John Militello, CPA

VP, Principal Accounting Officer

Board of Directors

Roderick Wong, MD, MBA

Chairman of the Board

Elisabeth Bjork, MD, PhD

Independent Director

Carsten Boess, MBA

Independent Director

Pedro Granadillo, BS

Independent Director

Gotham Makker, MD

Independent Director

Gaurav Shah, MD

Chief Executive Officer

David Southwell, MBA

Director

Naveen Yalamanchi, MD

Independent Director

Fady Malik, M.D., Ph.D.

Independent Director

R. Keith Woods

Independent Director

Scientific Advisors

Eric Adler, MD
Danon Advisory Board
Director of Cardiac Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support, UC San Diego

Juan Bueren, PhD
Fanconi & LAD Advisory Board
CIEMAT Gene Therapy Head

Hans-Peter Kiem, MD
Fanconi Advisory Board
Fred Hutchinson Cell & Gene Therapy Director

Donald Kohn, MD, UUC, BS, MS
LAD and Osteopetrosis Advisory Board
UCLA Human Gene Medicine Program Director

Johan Richter, MD, PhD
Osteopetrosis Advisory Board
Lund University Hospital Gene Therapy Head

Maria Grazia Roncarolo, MD
George D. Smith Professor in Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Professor of Pediatrics and of Medicine, Director of the Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine, and Co-director of the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University

Axel Schambach, PhD
Lecturer on Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital

Jose Carlos Segovia, PhD
PKD Advisory Board
CIEMAT Investigator

Julian Sevilla, MD, PhD
Clinical Investigator, Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús

Matthew Taylor, MD, PhD
Danon Advisory Board Director, Adult Clinical Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz

Adrian Thrasher, MD, PhD
Fanconi and LAD Advisory Board UCL Institute of Child Health, Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), NHS Trust

John Wagner, MD
Director of the Institute of Cell, Gene and Immunotherapeutics, University of Minnesota

Partners

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)

1 of 13

Temple University

2 of 13

REGENXBIO

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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

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NYU

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CIRM

6 of 13

University of Minnesota

7 of 13

Stanford Medical School

8 of 13

Forty Seven, a Gilead company

9 of 13

University of Colorado

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University of California, Los Angeles

11 of 13

University of California, San Diego

12 of 13

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

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CIBER

CIBERER

CIEMAT

1 of 5

University College London Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children

2 of 5

Lund University

3 of 5

MolMed

4 of 5

University of Hannover

5 of 5
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