Jeff Marrazzo

Jeff Marrazzo founded and built Spark Therapeutics from an idea incubated within the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) into the world’s first fully integrated, commercial gene therapy company with over 850 employees at the time of his departure. Under Jeff’s leadership, Spark developed and launched LUXTURNA® for a rare blinding disorder, the first FDA-approved gene therapy for a genetic disease in the United States, spearheading the creation of novel reimbursement models to ensure patient access to genetic medicines. As CEO, Jeff shepherded multiple gene therapies into the clinic for patients with conditions ranging from inherited retinal diseases to rare bleeding and neuromuscular disorders.

While at Spark, Jeff raised $1 billion and established major partnerships with Pfizer and Novartis. Jeff’s successful orchestration of Spark’s $4.8 billion sale to Roche in 2019 marked a 100-fold increase in the company’s market value over six years and ensured Spark’s ongoing operations would remain in Philadelphia.

Jeff currently serves as a board member and strategic advisor to several biotechnology companies and entrepreneurs, primarily in the Philadelphia area.

Jeff holds a B.A. in systems science and engineering and B.A. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania as well as a M.B.A/M.P.A from Wharton and Harvard University.