# Ramon Salsas Escat

> Ramon Salsas Escat is the Chief Business Officer of GEMMA Biotherapeutics (GemmaBio), the Philadelphia gene-therapy company spun out of Jim Wilson's lab to widen global access to AAV therapies for rare inherited diseases. A chemist by training who earned a PhD in computational and systems biology at MIT and an MBA at IESE, Salsas has led or co-led more than 20 transactions across AAV gene therapies, CNS disorders, oncology and manufacturing platforms, with cumulative deal value north of $4 billion in upfront payments and milestones. He helped build the business engine at Penn's Gene Therapy Program, served as SVP of Business Development at G2 Bio, and now runs business development, alliance management, legal and IP at GemmaBio, where he played a pivotal role in the company's founding and its $34 million seed round.

- **Role:** Chief Business Officer at GEMMA Biotherapeutics
- **Organizations:** GEMMA Biotherapeutics (GemmaBio), G2 Bio, University of Pennsylvania Gene Therapy Program, Esteve Pharmaceuticals
- **Nationality:** Spanish
- **Education:** Bachelor's and Master's in Chemistry, Institut Químic de Sarrià (Barcelona), PhD in Computational and Systems Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), MBA, IESE Business School
- **Known for:** Led or co-led more than 20 transactions including strategic collaborations, technology out-licenses, spinouts, research partnerships and co-development agreements, Cumulative deal value exceeding $4 billion in potential milestones and upfront payments, Negotiated over $600 million in committed research funding and $230 million in secured capital

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Head of R&D Business Strategy at Esteve Pharmaceuticals
- **2016** — Joins the University of Pennsylvania Gene Therapy Program in business development, progressing to Executive Director of Business Development
- **Later** — Senior Vice President of Business Development at G2 Bio
- **2024** — Plays a pivotal role in founding GEMMA Biotherapeutics and becomes Chief Business Officer; company launches October 1, 2024
- **2024-12** — GemmaBio closes a $34 million seed round co-led by Double Point Ventures, Bioluminescence Ventures and Earlybird Venture Capital

## Achievements

- Led or co-led more than 20 transactions including strategic collaborations, technology out-licenses, spinouts, research partnerships and co-development agreements
- Cumulative deal value exceeding $4 billion in potential milestones and upfront payments
- Negotiated over $600 million in committed research funding and $230 million in secured capital
- Played a pivotal role in founding GEMMABio and other companies
- Helped close GemmaBio's $34 million seed financing in December 2024
- Earned a PhD in Computational and Systems Biology from MIT and an MBA from IESE

## Latest updates

- **2024-10** — GEMMA Biotherapeutics launches as a Penn spinout from Jim Wilson's gene therapy work, with Salsas as Chief Business Officer.
- **2024-12** — GemmaBio secures $34 million in seed funding; Salsas helps lead the transaction and oversees BD, alliances, legal and IP.

## Links

- Website: https://gemmabiotx.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramon-salsas-escat/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ramon-salsas
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-21