Lolita Petit

Lolita Petit has a strong background in ocular gene therapy research and development. Lolita has held various roles in different organizations throughout their career. Lolita started their professional journey as a PHD Student at Atlantic Gene Therapies, where they focused on establishing proof-of-concept for AAV-mediated gene replacement therapy in dog models of retinitis pigmentosa and cone-rod dystrophy. Lolita also participated in IND-enabling studies and regulatory submissions for the development of a clinical trial for PDE6β gene therapy.

After completing their PHD, Lolita joined UMass Medical School as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, where they identified and validated therapeutic targets for retinitis pigmentosa and characterized host factors affecting AAV-mediated gene transfer. Lolita mentored and supervised several students and research assistants during this time.

Lolita then moved on to Spark Therapeutics, Inc., where they held the position of Senior Ocular Research Scientist and later became the Ocular Pre-Clinical Research Lead. In these roles, they oversaw the development of the Ocular technology platform, led and managed a research team, and established external research collaborations.

Most recently, Lolita worked at The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson as the Director of Gene Therapy and Delivery. In this role, they served as the subject matter expert and Gene Therapy AAV Discovery leader, responsible for all aspects of ocular gene therapy discovery. Lolita managed the Translational Gene Therapy Team and was involved in engineering gene delivery vectors and developing immunomodulation strategies.

Lolita's most recent position is as the Chief Scientific Officer at Coave Therapeutics, starting in 2023.

Lolita Petit earned their Bachelor's degree in Biology and Biochemistry from Université Paris Cité in 2007. Lolita then pursued a Master's degree in Biology, Biotechnologies, and Therapeutic Research at Nantes Université from 2007 to 2010. Lolita later continued their education at Nantes Université, completing a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Gene/Genetic Therapy from 2010 to 2014.