Prolific Machines Announces the Appointment of Former Forge Biologics Executive, Christina Perry, as CFO Setting the Stage for Optogenetics Leader’s Biopharmaceutical Commercial Ramp Up

EMERYVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 13, 2025--

Prolific Machines, a biotechnology company using light to control biology, announces the appointment of Christina Perry to its expert team. Christina Perry joins Prolific as CFO where she will be charged with scaling Prolific’s growth and financial systems as it continues to focus on expanding its commercial reach. Perry will also leverage her deep pharmaceutical and CDMO expertise to help Prolific achieve its ambitious business goals.

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Prolific Machines is advancing the developability of protein therapeutics. Its Photomolecular platform brings together patented optogenetic tools and proprietary closed-loop capabilities to unlock direct and dynamic control over any cellular function in any cell type. The Bay Area company enables biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies of all stages to solve complex protein challenges; light-enabled gene expression control enables the production of difficult to produce therapeutics by maximizing titer and improving protein quality consistency. Light-enabled receptor control drives cost reduction and shortens run times in antibody therapeutics through growth factor elimination.

"We’re building a new toolkit to control biology that offers biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies unprecedented control over their processes. As we prepare to announce even more opportunities to leverage our technology in the coming months, we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Christina to Prolific as our CFO,” said Deniz Kent, PhD, Prolific Machines’ Co-Founder & CEO. “Her deep biopharmaceutical expertise and acumen for developing winning businesses will be paramount to our path forward as we prepare to share more exciting news in the months ahead.”

Prior to joining Prolific, Perry spent the past four years with Forge Biologics, a viral vector gene therapy manufacturing and development company with the dual platform of CDMO capabilities and the development of proprietary gene therapy products. Here, she built and scaled Forge’s finance, accounting, and investor relations functions from the time of its Series A financing through one year post strategic acquisition by Ajinomoto Co., in 2023. During her time at Forge Biologics, the company raised over $300M in financings and scaled their business operations to support growth from seven to 350 employees. Perry has deep expertise managing complex entity legal structures and has had extensive experience in equity and debt financings. Over the last 15 years, she has worked with public and private companies and startups across varying industries, developing operational processes to scale with high growth. Perry spent the onset of her career at Deloitte as a CPA, earned her BBA at the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Accountancy from Miami University. She was also named a Woman of Influence by Columbus Business First in 2023.

“I have dedicated my career to building winning propositions through leading strategic fundraising, operational programs, and driving business growth,” said Christina Perry, Prolific Machines’ CFO. “When this opportunity came along, it so perfectly married my biopharmaceutical expertise and passion, and I couldn’t be more excited to help Prolific achieve its mission and business goals.”

This leadership team addition further accelerates Prolific’s momentum and positive impact potential across biopharmaceuticals and advanced nutrition. Learn more about Prolific Machines’ technology and capabilities at prolific-machines.com, and contact partners@prolific-machines.com to explore partnership opportunities.

About Prolific Machines

Prolific Machines is ushering in a new era of biotechnology using light. Founded in 2020, the Bay Area company is widening the developability of protein therapeutics, using optogenetics to unlock unprecedented cellular control. Prolific’s Photomolecular platform brings together patented optogenetics tools and proprietary closed-loop control capabilities to unlock game changing solutions across difficult to produce proteins and antibody therapeutics. The company is accelerating the future of biology with innovators across biopharmaceuticals and advanced nutrition to create a healthier, more sustainable tomorrow and is supported by leading investors, including Ki Tua Fund, the corporate venture arm of the Fonterra Co-operative Group; Breakthrough Energy Ventures; Mayfield; SOSV; In-Q-Tel; and others. Visit prolific-machines.com to learn more, and contact partners@prolific-machines.com to inquire about co-developing the future of biology.

Christina Perry joins Prolific Machines as CFO after helping to scale Forge Biologics, a leading cell and gene therapy pharmaceutical company and CDMO, and leading its successful acquisition by the Ajinomoto Co. (Photo: Business Wire)

Congregants and leaders vowed to rebuild a historic Mississippi synagogue that was heavily damaged by fire after an individual was taken into custody for what authorities said Sunday was an act of arson.

The fire ripped through the Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson shortly after 3 a.m. on Saturday, authorities said. No congregants were injured in the blaze.

Photos showed the charred remains of an administrative office and synagogue library, where several Torahs were destroyed or damaged.

Jackson Mayor John Horhn confirmed that a person was taken into custody following an investigation that also included the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

“Acts of antisemitism, racism, and religious hatred are attacks on Jackson as a whole and will be treated as acts of terror against residents’ safety and freedom to worship,” Horhn said in a statement.

He did not provide the name of the suspect or the charges that the person is facing. A spokesperson for the Jackson FBI said they are "working with law enforcement partners on this investigation.”

The synagogue, the largest in Mississippi and the only one in Jackson, was the site of a Ku Klux Klan bombing in 1967 — a response to the congregation’s role in civil rights activities, according to the Institute of Southern Jewish Life, which also houses its office in the building.

“That history reminds us that attacks on houses of worship, whatever their cause, strike at the heart of our shared moral life,” said CJ Rhodes, a prominent Black Baptist pastor in Jackson in a Facebook post.

"This wasn’t random vandalism — it was a deliberate, targeted attack on the Jewish community,” Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of The Anti-Defamation League, said in a statement.

“That it has been attacked again, amid a surge of antisemitic incidents across the US, is a stark reminder: antisemitic violence is escalating, and it demands total condemnation and swift action from everyone,” Greenblatt said.

The congregation is still assessing the damage and received outreach from other houses of worship, said Michele Schipper, CEO of the Institute of Southern Jewish Life and past president of the congregation. The synagogue will continue its regular worship programs and services for Shabbat, the weekly Jewish Sabbath, likely inside of one of the local churches that reached out.

“We are devastated but ready to rebuild, and we are so appreciative of the outreach from the community,” said Schipper.

One Torah that survived the Holocaust was behind glass not damaged in the fire, Schipper said. Five Torahs inside the sanctuary are being assessed for smoke damage. Two Torahs inside the library, where the most severe damage was done, were destroyed, according to a synagogue representative.

The floors, walls and ceiling of the sanctuary were covered in soot, and the synagogue will have to replace upholstery and carpeting.

“A lot of times we hear things happening throughout the country in other parts, and we feel like this wouldn’t happen in our part," said chief fire investigator Charles Felton “A lot of people are in disbelief that this would happen here in Jackson, Mississippi.”

FILE - This Nov. 2, 2018 photo shows an armed Hinds County Sheriff's deputy outside of the Beth Israel Congregation synagogue in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, file)