Dr. Rod Rietze is Co-founder and CEO of iVexSol (intelligent Vector Solutions), Inc., a viral vector contract manufacturer with a transformative technology platform that enables the rapid generation of stable lentiviral vectors at scale, unlocking the production of life-changing cell and gene therapies.
Rod is a proven leader in regenerative medicine innovation that transforms patients’ lives and opens doors to personalized therapeutics. Prior to co-founding iVexSol, Rod was the Director of Strategic Development and Innovation at Novartis Cell and Gene Therapy (Cambridge, MA), where he supported the clinical development and manufacture of a number of next generation cell and gene therapies, including Kymriah™, the first FDA-approved CAR-T cell-based gene therapy.
Before joining Novartis, Rod led research and development teams of both small molecule and cell-based therapeutics at Pfizer Regenerative Medicine (Cambridge, UK) and TxCell SA (Sophia Antipolis, France). During his tenure in academia, Rod co-founded the 400-member Queensland Brain Institute (Brisbane, Australia), where his lab focused on harnessing the regenerative capacity of resident neural stem cells to treat age-related cognitive decline. His work was featured on the front covers of Nature and Science, and received numerous awards including Science Magazine’s “Breakthrough of the Year”.
With over two decades of technical, operational and strategic leadership experience in the development of novel therapeutics, Rod remains passionate about discovering and delivering innovative technologies and medicines to transform the treatment of disease. He holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. from the University of Calgary, Canada and a Ph.D. from The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (University of Melbourne, Australia).
