This weekend brought some really significant news in the long-running effort to use gene editing to treat human disease. As most readers will have heard, Boston Childrens Hospital and a Vertex/CRISPR effort both published papers in the NEJM addressing sickle-cell anemia and beta-thalassemia. (Update: edit to fix attribution).

These diseases have long been linked when it comes to gene therapy ideas, because both of them have defects in the hemoglobin protein as their cause. And its long been thought that both could be treated by getting adults to re-express the fetal hemoglobin protein its on a different gene entirely, and thus does not have any of the genetic problems that affect the adult hemoglobin gene. The normal course of events is for babies to stop expressing the fetal form and switch over to regular hemoglobin, and its been worked out that a particular transcription factor called BCL11a is a key player in that transcriptional repression of the fetal hemoglobin gene. That plays right into the usual way that we tend to think about therapeutic possibilities: whether its enzymes, receptors, or expression of whole proteins, we have a lot more tools to mess things up and interrupt processes than we have to make them run faster or better. So the possibility of interrupting BCL11as function has been a tempting one for many years.

Its hard to do by traditional means, though. (Full disclosure: I have, at different times in my career, been involved with such efforts, but none have ever come near the clinic.) Transcription factors are notoriously hard to get a handle on with small molecule therapeutics, and many unsuccessful runs have been taken at BCL11a ligands to try to interrupt its functions in one way or another. My general impression is that the protein doesnt much care about recognizing small-molecule ligands (and its far from the only one in that category, for sure). Youd think that if you ran a few hundred thousand (or a few million) various molecules past any given protein that youd find a few of them that bind to it, but that assumption is too optimistic for most transcription factors. Youre also going to have a hard row to hoe (to use an old Arkansas expression) if you try to break up their interactions with their DNA binding sites: a significant amount of capital has gone down the chute trying to get that to work, with (as far as I can tell) not much to show for it.

Theres another complication: BCL11a has a lot of other functions. Every protein has a lot of other functions, but for transcription factors, the issue can be especially fraught. If you had a small molecule that really did interfere with its activity, what would happen if you just took a stiff dose of it? Probably a number of things, including some interesting (and not necessarily welcome) surprises. There have been a number of ideas about how to get around this problem, but a problem it is.

So its on to biological mechanisms. The BCH team reports on using RNA interference to do the job they get cells to express a short hairpin RNA that shuts down production of BCL11a protein, with some microRNA work to target this to the right cell lines. And the Vertex/CRISPR team, naturally, uses CRISPR itself to go in and inactivate the BCL11a gene directly. Both approaches take (and have to take) a similar pathway, which is difficult and expensive, but still the best shot at such therapies that we have. You want the fetal hemoglobin expressed in red blood cells, naturally, and red blood cells come from CD34+ stem cells in the bone marrow. Even if you havent thought about this, you might see where its going: you take a bone marrow sample, isolate these cells, and then do your genetic manipulation to them ex vivo. Once youve got a population of appropriately re-engineered cells ready to go, you go kill off the bone marrow in the patient and put the reworked cells back in, so theyre the only source there for red blood cells at all. A bone marrow transplant, in other words a pretty grueling process, but definitely not as much as having some sort of blood-cell-driven cancer (where the therapy uses compatible donor cells from someone else without such a problem), or as much as having full-on sickle cell disease or tranfusion-dependent thalassemia.

You can also see how this is a perfect setup for gene therapy: theres a defined population of cells that you need to treat, which are available in a specific tissue via a well-worked-out procedure. The problem youre trying to correct is extremely well understood in fact, it was the first disease ever characterized (by Linus Pauling in 1949) as purely due to a genetic defect . And the patients own tissue is vulnerable to chemotherapy agents that will wipe out the existing cell population, in another well-worked-out protocol, giving the newly reworked cells an open landscape to expand in. You have the chance for a clean swap on a defined target, which is quite rare. In too many other cases the problem turns out to involve a fuzzy mass of genetic factors and environmental ones, none of which by themselves account for the disease symptoms, or the tissue doesnt allow you to isolate the defective cells easily or doesnt allow you to clear them out for any new ones you might generate, and so on.

Both the Vertex/CRISPR and BCH techniques seem to work and in fact, to work very well. There are now people walking around, many months after these treatments, who were severely ill but now appear to be cured. Thats not a word we get to use very often. They are producing enough fetal hemoglobin, more than enough to make their symptoms completely disappear no attacks, no transfusions, just normal life. And so far there have been no side effects due to the altered stem cells. An earlier strategy from Bluebird (involving addition of a gene for a modified adult hemoglobin) also seems to be holding up.

These are revolutionary proofs of concept, but at the same time, they are not going to change the course of these diseases in the world not right now, anyway. Bone marrow transfusion is of course a complex process that costs a great deal and can only be done in places with advanced medical facilities. But what weve established is that anything that can cause fetal hemoglobin to be expressed should indeed cure these diseases that idea has been de-risked. As has the general idea of doing such genetic alteration in defined adult tissues (either RNA interference or CRISPR). From here, we try to make these things easier, cheaper and more general, to come up with new ways of realizing these same goals now that we know that they do what we hoped that they would. This work is already underway new ways to target the affected cell populations rather than flat-out chemotherapy assault, new ways to deliver the genetically altered cells (or to produce them on site in the patients), ways to make the switchover between the two more gradual, and so on. There are lot of possible ways, and we now know where were going.

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Gene Therapy, Absolutely and For Real | In the Pipeline - Science Magazine

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--bluebird bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLUE) announced that new data from Group C of its ongoing Phase 1/2 HGB-206 study of investigational LentiGlobin gene therapy (bb1111) for adult and adolescent patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) show a complete elimination of severe VOEs and VOEs between six and 24 months of follow-up. These data are being presented at the 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, taking place virtually from December 5-8, 2020.

Now with more than two years of data, we continue to observe promising results in our studies of LentiGlobin for SCD that further illustrate its potential to eliminate the symptoms and devastating complications of sickle cell disease. Consistently achieving the complete resolution of severe vaso-occlusive events (VOEs) and VOEs between Month 6 and Month 24 follow-up is unprecedented other than with allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Importantly, our data show the potential for LentiGlobin for SCD to produce fundamentally disease-modifying effects with sustained pancellular distribution of gene therapy-derived anti-sickling HbAT87Q and improvement of key markers of hemolysis that approach normal levels, said David Davidson, M.D., chief medical officer, bluebird bio. In addition to these clinical outcomes, for the first time with a gene therapy we now have patient-reported outcomes through the validated PROMIS-57 tool, showing reduction in pain intensity at 12 months after treatment with LentiGlobin for SCD. These results provide insight into the potential real-life impact LentiGlobin for SCD may offer patients.

SCD is a serious, progressive and debilitating genetic disease. In the U.S., the median age of death for someone with sickle cell disease is 43 46 years. SCD is caused by a mutation in the -globin gene that leads to the production of abnormal sickle hemoglobin (HbS). HbS causes red blood cells to become sickled and fragile, resulting in chronic hemolytic anemia, vasculopathy and unpredictable, painful VOEs.

In the HGB-206 study of LentiGlobin for SCD, VOEs are defined as episodes of acute pain with no medically determined cause other than a vaso-occlusion, lasting more than two hours and severe enough to require care at a medical facility. This includes acute episodes of pain, acute chest syndrome (ACS), acute hepatic sequestration and acute splenic sequestration. A severe VOE requires a 24-hour hospital stay or emergency room visit or at least two visits to a hospital or emergency room over a 72-hour period, with both visits requiring intravenous treatment.

LentiGlobin for SCD was designed to add functional copies of a modified form of the -globin gene (A-T87Q-globin gene) into a patients own hematopoietic (blood) stem cells (HSCs). Once patients have the A-T87Q-globin gene, their red blood cells can produce anti-sickling hemoglobin (HbAT87Q) that decreases the proportion of HbS, with the goal of reducing sickled red blood cells, hemolysis and other complications.

As a hematologist, I regularly see the debilitating effects of pain events caused by sickle cell disease. Pain has an overwhelmingly negative impact on many facets of my patients lives and can lead to prolonged hospitalizations, said presenting study author Alexis A. Thompson, M.D., professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and head of hematology at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago. The results observed with LentiGlobin gene therapy for SCD include the complete elimination of severe vaso-occlusive pain episodes, which is certainly clinically meaningful, but also for the first time, we have documented patients reporting that they are experiencing improved quality of life. This degree of early clinical benefit is extraordinarily rewarding to observe as a provider."

As of the data cut-off date of August 20, 2020, a total of 44 patients have been treated with LentiGlobin for SCD in the HGB-205 (n=3) and HGB-206 (n=41) clinical studies. The HGB-206 total includes: Groups A (n=7), B (n=2) and C (n=32).

HGB-206: Group C Updated Efficacy Results

The 32 patients treated with LentiGlobin for SCD gene therapy in Group C of HGB-206 had up to 30.9 months of follow-up (median of 13.0; min-max: 1.1 30.9 months).

In patients with six or more months of follow-up whose hemoglobin fractions were available (n=22), median levels of gene therapy-derived anti-sickling hemoglobin, HbAT87Q, were maintained with HbAT87Q contributing at least 40% of total hemoglobin at Month 6. At last visit reported, total hemoglobin ranged from 9.6 15.1 g/dL and HbAT87Q levels ranged from 2.7 8.9 g/dL. At Month 6, the production of HbAT87Q was associated with a reduction in the proportion of HbS in total hemoglobin; median HbS was 50% and remained less than 60% at all follow-up timepoints. All patients in Group C were able to stop regular blood transfusions by three months post-treatment and remain off transfusions as of the data cut-off.

Nineteen patients treated in Group C had a history of severe VOEs, defined as at least four severe VOEs in the 24 months prior to informed consent (annualized rate of severe VOE min-max: 2.0 10.5 events) and at least six months follow-up after treatment with LentiGlobin for SCD. There have been no reports of severe VOEs in these Group C patients following treatment with LentiGlobin for SCD. In addition, all 19 patients had a complete resolution of VOEs after Month 6.

Hemolysis Markers

In SCD, red blood cells become sickled and fragile, rupturing more easily than healthy red blood cells. The breakdown of red blood cells, called hemolysis, occurs normally in the body. However, in sickle cell disease, hemolysis happens too quickly due to the fragility of the red blood cells, which results in hemolytic anemia.

Patients treated with LentiGlobin for SCD in Group C demonstrated near-normal levels in key markers of hemolysis, which are indicators of the health of red blood cells. Lab results assessing these indicators were available for the majority of the 25 patients with 6 months of follow-up.

The medians for reticulocyte counts (n=23), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels (n=21) and total bilirubin (n=24) continued to improve compared to screening values and stabilized by Month 6. In patients with Month 24 data (n=7), these values approached the upper limit of normal by Month 24. These results continue to suggest that treatment with LentiGlobin for SCD may improve biological markers to near-normal levels for SCD.

Pancellularity

As previously reported, assays were developed by bluebird bio to enable the detection of HbAT87Q and HbS protein in individual red blood cells, as well as to assess if HbAT87Q was pancellular, or present throughout all of a patients red blood cells. In 25 patients with at least six months of follow-up, on average, more than 80% of red blood cells contained HbAT87Q, suggesting near-complete pancellularity of HbAT87Q distribution and with pancellularity further increasing over time.

HGB-206: Improvements in Health-Related Quality of Life

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) findings in Group C patients treated with LentiGlobin for SCD in the HGB-206 study were generated using the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System 57 (PROMIS-57), a validated instrument in SCD.

Data assessing pain intensity experienced by nine Group C patients were analyzed according to baseline pain intensity scores relative to the general population normative value: 2.6 on a scale of 0-10, where 10 equals the most intense pain. Data were assessed at baseline, Month 6 and Month 12.

Of the five patients with baseline scores worse than the population normative value average, four demonstrated clinically meaningful reductions in pain intensity at Month 12; the group had a mean score of 6.0 at baseline and a mean score of 2.4 at Month 12. Of the four patients with better than or near population normative values at baseline, two reported improvement and two remained stable with a mean score of 2.3 at baseline and 0.8 at Month 12.

HGB-206: Group C Safety Results

As of August 20, 2020, the safety data from Group C patients in HGB-206 remain generally consistent with the known side effects of hematopoietic stem cell collection and myeloablative single-agent busulfan conditioning, as well as underlying SCD. One non-serious, Grade 2 adverse event (AE) of febrile neutropenia was considered related to LentiGlobin for SCD. There were no serious AEs related to LentiGlobin for SCD.

One patient with significant baseline SCD-related and cardiopulmonary disease died 20 months post-treatment; the treating physician and an independent monitoring committee agreed his death was unlikely related to LentiGlobin for SCD and that SCD-related cardiac and pulmonary disease contributed.

LentiGlobin for SCD Data at ASH

The presentation of HGB-206 Group C results and patient reported outcomes research are now available on demand on the ASH conference website:

About HGB-206

HGB-206 is an ongoing, Phase 1/2 open-label study designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of LentiGlobin gene therapy for sickle cell disease (SCD) that includes three treatment cohorts: Groups A (n=7), B (n=2) and C (n=32). A refined manufacturing process designed to increase vector copy number (VCN) and further protocol refinements made to improve engraftment potential of gene-modified stem cells were used for Group C. Group C patients also received LentiGlobin for SCD made from HSCs collected from peripheral blood after mobilization with plerixafor, rather than via bone marrow harvest, which was used in Groups A and B of HGB-206.

About LentiGlobin for SCD (bb1111)

LentiGlobin gene therapy for sickle cell disease (bb1111) is an investigational treatment being studied as a potential treatment for SCD. bluebird bios clinical development program for LentiGlobin for SCD includes the completed Phase 1/2 HGB-205 study, the ongoing Phase 1/2 HGB-206 study, and the ongoing Phase 3 HGB-210 study.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted orphan drug designation, fast track designation, regenerative medicine advanced therapy (RMAT) designation and rare pediatric disease designation for LentiGlobin for SCD.

LentiGlobin for SCD received orphan medicinal product designation from the European Commission for the treatment of SCD, and Priority Medicines (PRIME) eligibility by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in September 2020.

bluebird bio is conducting a long-term safety and efficacy follow-up study (LTF-307) for people who have participated in bluebird bio-sponsored clinical studies of LentiGlobin for SCD. For more information visit: https://www.bluebirdbio.com/our-science/clinical-trials or clinicaltrials.gov and use identifier NCT04628585 for LTF-307.

LentiGlobin for SCD is investigational and has not been approved in any geography.

About bluebird bio, Inc.

bluebird bio is pioneering gene therapy with purpose. From our Cambridge, Mass., headquarters, were developing gene and cell therapies for severe genetic diseases and cancer, with the goal that people facing potentially fatal conditions with limited treatment options can live their lives fully. Beyond our labs, were working to positively disrupt the healthcare system to create access, transparency and education so that gene therapy can become available to all those who can benefit.

bluebird bio is a human company powered by human stories. Were putting our care and expertise to work across a spectrum of disorders: cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, sickle cell disease, -thalassemia and multiple myeloma, using gene and cell therapy technologies including gene addition, and (megaTAL-enabled) gene editing.

bluebird bio has additional nests in Seattle, Wash.; Durham, N.C.; and Zug, Switzerland. For more information, visit bluebirdbio.com.

Follow bluebird bio on social media: @bluebirdbio, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

LentiGlobin and bluebird bio are trademarks of bluebird bio, Inc.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any forward-looking statements are based on managements current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: regarding the potential for LentiGlobin for Sickle Cell Disease to treat SCD; the risk that the efficacy and safety results from our prior and ongoing clinical trials will not continue or be repeated in our ongoing or planned clinical trials; the risk that the current or planned clinical trials of our product candidates will be insufficient to support regulatory submissions or marketing approval in the United States and European Union; the risk that regulatory authorities will require additional information regarding our product candidates, resulting in delay to our anticipated timelines for regulatory submissions, including our applications for marketing approval; and the risk that any one or more of our product candidates, will not be successfully developed, approved or commercialized. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause our actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the section entitled Risk Factors in our most recent Form 10-Q, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in our subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and bluebird bio undertakes no duty to update this information unless required by law.

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Treatment with Investigational LentiGlobin Gene Therapy for Sickle Cell Disease (bb1111) Results in Complete Elimination of SCD-Related Severe...

Shares in Rocket Pharmaceuticals have been living up to their name, shooting up following encouraging early-stage clinical trial results from a gene therapy for a serious inherited rare heart disease.

Results came from a phase 1 trial of RP-A501 for treatment of Danon Disease and sent shares up 75% on the Nasdaq to more than $56, a five-year high.

The surging stock price indicates the markets confidence in gene therapy products after the successful launch of products such as Roche/Spark Therapeutics Luxturna, a gene therapy for a rare inherited eye disease.

Danon Disease is a rare X-linked disorder caused by genetic mutations in the LAMP2 gene and the therapy works by instructing the body to express a healthy copy of the LAMP2B protein in order to correct the condition.

The disease that affects boys and men more severely causes accumulation of autophagosomes tiny structures that cause cells internal structures to break down in the heart muscle and other tissues.

Together with a build-up of glycogen this can lead to severe and frequently fatal degradation of the heart muscle.

RP-A501 could be the first gene therapy for the disease and the early data showed a positive increase in cardiac protein expression.

As of November, three patients have been treated with a low dose of the therapy and two have been treated with a high dose.

An early trial readout showed two patients with LAMP2B expression that was 50% more than normal, measured nine and 12 months after treatment.

A 15%-20% increase could lead to clinically meaningful improvements in cardiac function and the trial reported a 50% decrease in a key biomarker of heart failure.

There was also a reduction in myocardial cell disarray and a visible reduction in autophagic vacuoles, a hallmark of the disease.

The company also noted stabilisation of three other measures a heart failure biomarker known as BNP, plus levels of transaminases and creatine kinase that also indicate skeletal and heart muscle damage.

However one patient who received the highest dose and had a degree of immunity to the adeno-associated virus used in the therapy had an immune reaction classified as a serious adverse event.

Rocket said the event was likely due to complement activation, resulting in reversible thrombocytopenia and acute kidney injury requiring a short round of haemodialysis.

The patient returned to baseline within three weeks and regained normal kidney function.

DrBarry Greenberg, director of the Advanced Heart Failure Treatment Program atUC San Diego Health, Professor of Medicine atUC San Diego School of Medicine, and the principal investigator said: Children with Danon Disease live with a heavy disease burden. Young boys are often severely afflicted.

They show evidence of early onset skeletal muscle weakness and heart disease that can progress rapidly to end-stage with death occurring on the average before age 20. A heart transplant can be performed but is not curative and is associated with its own significant problems.

The results-to-date for this first investigational gene therapy for monogenic heart failure show the potential for direct clinical benefit without emergence of unanticipated side effects of therapy.

The company has also begun a stock offering of $175 million in shares to fund further development following the results.

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Rocket Pharmaceuticals in orbit after gene therapy read-out - - pharmaphorum

bluebird bio has presented long-term data from its Zynteglo one-time gene therapy for the blood disorder beta-thalassaemia, as the company continues talks with payers in Europe to bring the ultra-pricey treatment to market.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted a conditional marketing authorisation for the drug that will be marketed as Zynteglo (betibeglogene autotemcel), meaning its licence must be renewed each year until confirmatory data is available.

Results announced at the American Society of Hematology could help bluebird make the case for the long-term use of the therapy as the treatment approaches the market in Europe.

In the US, Zynteglo has hit a speed-bump with the FDA, which is asking for more information about production facilities before a review of clinical data can begin.

Of the 10 patients enrolled in the ongoing long-term study (LTF-303) from a phase 3 programme, 9/10 (90%) were transfusion independent (TI) and all these patients remain transfusion independent.

David Davidson, chief medical officer at bluebird, said: All of the patients in our phase 3 studies who achieved transfusion independence have maintained it, with the durability of the treatment effect underscored by patients from our earlier studies reaching their five-year anniversaries of freedom from transfusions.

In a group of patients aged under 18 from the Northstar-2 and Northstar-3 phase 3 studies, 87% (13 out of 15) achieved TI and remained so.

In a long-term follow-up 53% of patients who achieved TI and restarted iron chelation have since stopped and 30% who achieved TI now receive phlebotomy to reduce iron levels.

Davidson added: Transfusion independence has been observed in paediatric, adolescent and adult patients and across genotypes suggesting outcomes with this gene therapy may be consistent regardless of age or genotype.

In Europe bluebird has set a price of up to $1.58 million euros for a single shot.

This is paid in instalments, with 315,000 euros paid up front and four additional payments due only if the treatment continues to be effective.

Zynteglo is already launched in Germany and is nearing the end of its year of free pricing.

But its fair to say that the therapy wont come cheaply even though most member states will likely end up negotiating a lower price.

In England, cost-effectiveness body NICE is reviewing Zynteglo and is due to publish draft document early in the new year.

Although its too early to say how the review will go, NICE will be looking for more certainty on the long-term effects of the therapy.

The latest data wont be part of the submission to NICE, but the company hopes that an ongoing review of the cost-effectiveness bodys methodology will help novel gene therapies get to market.

Nicola Redfern, general manager of bluebird bio UK, is hopeful that NICE will refine its existing Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) and find better ways to deal with uncertainties in clinical data.

How we deal with uncertainties is going to be fundamentally important, she said.

Another issue to address is the discount rate NICE uses to calculate the value of medicines and their long-term impact on patients lives.

The 3.5% discount rate currently used means that these benefits reduce quickly over time in the view of NICE and Redfern agrees with NICEs own proposals to adopt the 1.5% discount rate used by the Treasury.

We agree with NICE that there is already evidence to bring it in line with the rate in the Treasury Green Book.

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Bluebird trumpets long-term data from beta-thalassaemia gene therapy - - pharmaphorum

Study results from an open-label, single-dose, multi-center, multinational phase III trial, presented during the late-breaking abstract session of the all-virtual 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meetings show that etranacogene dezaparvovec (previously known was AAV5-hFIXco-Padua; AMT-061; uniQure/CSL Behring), an investigational gene therapy for hemophilia B, is safe and effective.

The two most common types of hemophilia are hemophilia A, in which patients is lack of clotting Factor VIII, and hemophilia B, caused by a lack of the ability to produce the blood clotting factor IX as the result of an inherited mutation of the gene for factor IX.

Both types of hemophilia can lead to spontaneous and uncontrolled bleeding into muscles, organs, and joints as well as prolonged bleeding following injuries or surgery, which leads to joint deterioration and chronic pain.

Hemophilia B, which accounts for about one-fifth of hemophilia cases.

Clinical trialThe study of etranacogene dezaparvovec recruited adult male patients with severe or moderate-severe hemophilia B.

The results of the study demonstrated that a single administration of the gene therapy etranacogene dezaparvovec led to sustained increases of Factor IX to functionally curative levels capable of eliminating the need for regular infusions to control and prevent bleeding episodes. As a result, most patients were able to stop intensive intravenous regimens. The studys authors believe that the results may open doors for patients previously not included in gene therapy trials.

Blood clotting proteinIn the trial included 52 patients and is the largest and most inclusive hemophilia B gene therapy trial to date. The trial is also the first to include patients with certain immune system markers and found that they did not appear to confer any increased risks, a finding that could significantly broaden the number of patients who may be eligible for gene therapy.

A majority of trial participants (96%) successfully discontinued factor IX replacement therapy after receiving the gene therapy and have been producing their own factor IX for six months. The findings suggest gene therapy could, with a single treatment, give patients the ability to maintain Factor IX levels and reduce or eliminate the need for additional factor IX replacement therapy, according to researchers.

Most patients with hemophilia B are bound to a prophylactic factor regimen of one to two intravenous infusions per week from birth through the rest of their life, said senior study author Steven W. Pipe, M.D., of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, who presented the result of the study during the Late-Breaking Abstracts session on Tuesday, December 8 at 7:00 a.m. Pacific time.

Gene therapy offers the chance to liberate patients from the burden of their prior treatments, allowing for spontaneity and the freedom to do more in day-to-day life, Pipe added.

Replacement therapyFactor IX replacement therapy can reduce bleeding associated with hemophilia B, but it requires weekly or biweekly infusions to maintain factor IX levels, a burdensome regimen that costs several hundred thousand dollars per year.

In gene therapy, viral particles are used to shuttle engineered genes to cells in the liver. These genes replace the patients faulty factor IX gene, allowing the patients own body to produce factor IX on an ongoing basis. While several gene therapies for hemophilia have shown promise in early phase trials, the study is the first phase III trial to test the approach in a large and diverse array of patients, Pipe said.

Fifty-four patients enrolled in the study; all were dependent on factor IX replacement therapy, and 70% had bleeding episodes in the six months prior to the study despite this prophylactic treatment.

After receiving the etranacogene dezaparvovec gene therapy via a single infusion lasting roughly one hour, factor IX activity increased rapidly from a baseline of up to 2% (moderate to severe hemophilia) to a mean of 37% (very mild hemophilia) at 26 weeks, meeting the trials primary endpoint.

At that level, a patients bleeding risk is essentially the same as someone without hemophilia, Pipe noted.

Seventy-two percent of patients reported no bleeding events in the 26 weeks after receiving the gene therapy.

This tells us that the bleeding phenotype can be corrected through this treatment, which is a remarkable achievement, Pipe said.

Fifteen patients experienced some bleeding, which the researchers indicate is not unexpected given that many of the patients had severely affected joints entering the trial.

What weve seen from patients in the study is that they really dont have to think about their hemophilia anymore. The transformative nature that we hear from the patient stories is, to me, the most important outcome from this study, Pipe said.

Neutralizing antibodiesThe trial is also the first to attempt gene therapy in patients with neutralizing antibodies, a component of the immune system that helps the body fight pathogens. About 40% of trial participants had antibodies to adeno-associated virus serotype 5, or AAV5*, the viral vector used in etranacogene dezaparvovec.

In any other trial protocol, these patients would not have been eligible to participate, Pipe noted.

Previous trials have excluded such patients from gene therapies that use viral vectors under the assumption that antibodies could either block the uptake of the viral vectors in the liver or trigger a dangerous immune response to the therapy. The trial found no evidence of either problem, suggesting neutralizing antibodies do not preclude successful gene therapy.

Two patients did not respond to gene therapy. One did not receive a full dose because the infusion was stopped after the patient showed signs of a reaction to the infusion. The other had a level of neutralizing antibodies about five times higher than any other patient. Since other patients with neutralizing antibodies responded well to the therapy regardless of their level of antibodies, this finding suggests antibodies may pose a problem only at extremely high levels.

No treatment-related serious adverse events were reported. Adverse events were relatively common, occurring in 68% of patients, but most were mild and related to the infusion itself. Nine patients showed evidence of an immune response to the therapy, which was resolved in all cases with a course of corticosteroids.

The researchers will continue to follow patients for five years. Patients will be assessed for sustained factor IX production and effective bleed control over 52 weeks, as well as patient-reported outcome measures to assess the impact on health-related Quality of Life (hrQoL).

Note* Adeno-associated virus serotype 5- (AAV5-) based gene therapies have been demonstrated to be safe and well-tolerated in a multitude of clinical trials. Etranacogene dezaparvovec consists of an AAV5 viral vector carrying a gene cassette with the patent-protected Padua variant of Factor IX (FIX-Padua). The investigational agent has been granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and access to the Priority Medicines (PRIME) regulatory initiative by the European Medicines Agency.

Clinical trialsHOPE-B: Trial of AMT-061 in Severe or Moderately Severe Hemophilia B Patients NCT03569891

Reference[1] Pipe SW, Recht M, Key NS, Leebeek FWG, Castaman G, Lattimore SU, Van der Valk P, Peerlinck K, et al. LBA-6 First Data from the Phase 3 HOPE-B Gene Therapy Trial: Efficacy and Safety of Etranacogene Dezaparvovec (AAV5-Padua hFIX variant; AMT-061) in Adults with Severe or Moderate-Severe Hemophilia B Treated Irrespective of Pre-Existing Anti-Capsid Neutralizing Antibodies [Abstract LBA-6]

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ASH 2020: Novel Gene Therapy Found to be Safe and Effective in Treatment of Hemophilia B - OncoZine

Scientists have concluded a Phase 3 trial of a revolutionary gene therapy treating patients with a common form of mitochondrial blindness, and the results surprised them despite treating only one eye, the gene therapy improved vision in both eyes in 78% of participants. The results suggest the treatment is incredibly promising for a condition in which most legally-blind patients would never recover their vision.

Conducted on 37 patients with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), the trial involved a gene therapy using a virus vector to modify genes within the patients retinal cells. The results were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

LHON affects around 1 in every 50,000 people, with some patients experiencing significant vision loss in a matter of weeks. People affected by the disease will likely lose vision in one eye before subsequent vision loss in the other within 2-3 months. Treatments are limited to visual aids and attempted rehabilitation but have limited success. Typically, just 20% of patients will recover vision and it is extremely rare to recover vision greater than the worst score possible on a standard eye chart (20/200).

As someone who treats these young patients, I get very frustrated about the lack of effective therapies, said senior investigator Dr Sahel, a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh, in a statement.

These patients rapidly lose vision in the course of a few weeks to a couple of months. Our study provides a big hope for treating this blinding disease in young adults.

The treatment aims at correcting a common mutation within the MT-ND4 gene. MT-ND4 is a core subunit in a protein associated with mitochondria, and a mutation marked m. 11778G>A is thought to be associated with blinding neuropathy. Similarly, mutations in MT-ND4 may also be related to several other brain conditions, although these are not the same as the mutation targeted in this study.

37 patients were injected with the adenovirus-based therapy in one eye and a sham injection (a placebo or, in this case, fake injection) into the other. The trial was randomized and double-blind across multiple centres, which make it the gold-standard of clinical trials. After 48 and 96 weeks, the participants were tested for vision changes and whether they showed signs of improvement using a standard Snellen eye chart (the ones with rows of smaller and smaller letters).

The researchers found that, on average, vision was improved by 15 letters (3 lines on the chart) after 96 weeks, which is an extremely impressive result. However, to the surprise of the researchers, the sham-treated eyes also saw an average improvement of 13 letters. Those that were in the early stages of disease and still losing their vision when they joined the study saw an even better improvement, being able to see 28.5 letters more in the treated eyes on average.

We expected vision to improve in the eyes treated with the gene therapy vector only. Rather unexpectedly, both eyes improved for 78% of patients in the trial following the same trajectory over 2 years of follow-up. Said Dr Yu-Wai-Man, neuro-ophthalmologist at CambridgesDepartment of Clinical Neuroscience.

To decipher how this treatment improved both eyes, the researchers conducted a subsequent study on primates. After injection in the same way as the study above, they found the viral vector was present in cells throughout the eye that was not treated, although the mechanism in which this occurs needs confirmation.The researchers suggest that the viral vector may have transferred across neurones via interocular diffusion, and hence there was an improvement in vision in both eyes.

The results suggest an extremely promising new treatment for a rare but debilitating form of blindness. Further trials are expected to take place to confirm the results, and there are some outstanding limitations of the trial. For example, there was not a control group with this exact mutation, so the researchers could not directly compare to the treatment.

Saving sight with gene therapy is now a reality. The treatment has been shown to be safe and we are currently exploring the optimal therapeutic window. Said Dr Yu-Wai-Man.

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Gene Therapy Unexpectedly Improves Vision In Both Eyes Of Patients Suffering A Form Of Blindness - IFLScience

As the precision medicine field evolves and the science behind personalized therapies for complex conditions surges ahead, reimbursement models are racing to catch up. Precision medicine treatments, like cell and gene therapies, tend to have high price tags and novel delivery mechanisms. This makes creating effective payment models for these therapies a challenge, but drug developers and payers are working together to create out-of-the-box solutions.

Determining prices for breakthrough cell and gene therapies is a complicated process, said Laura Okpala, director of reimbursement policy at Gilead Sciences, at the MedCity INVEST Precision Medicine conference. Though there is a strong belief that the pricing process needs to be driven by value value means different things to different people. Biopharmaceutical companies, like Gilead Sciences, must consult with various stakeholders, including patients, caregivers and payers, who all have different perspectives on value.

Part of why the pricing is so difficult is because of the inherent complexities in the healthcare system, Okpala said. When we think of traditionally how drugs are paid for, were thinking about chronic treatment, were thinking about treatment over a long, extended period, treatment over and over again, reimbursement every single time, and that adds up.

But when you think about cell and gene therapies, all those costs and all of that treatment happens upfront, she added. And then you get that durable response, up to four years at this point. And that is really a paradigm shift when you think about [a] healthcare system that really isnt set up to deal with that upfront cost and that value delivered over time.

But the upfront payment is just one of many challenges. Mark Trusheim, strategic director of the NEWDIGS initiative at the MIT Center for Biomedical Innovation, said at the virtual conference that there are two more key challenges that arise: the performance uncertainty regarding these therapies, particularly around their durability, and the actuarial uncertainty it causes for payers. Most of these therapies are for rare conditions, so a single high-cost therapy in any given month can have a negative impact on payers income statements.

To combat these challenges, several innovative reimbursement models have been developed.

One is a model based on treatment milestones. Per this model, a certain amount of money is paid upfront, and if the therapy doesnt show the intended effects in certain predetermined timeframes, the drug developer pays back a portion of the initial payment.

[The model allows] some risk sharing between the developer and the payer, so they dont have to argue quite so much up front, Trusheim said. And the actual product performance [resolves] how much [is] finally the net reimbursement or the net price for that therapy.

This model helps manage the different expectations and fears of both parties, he added.

Another is a subscription-based model, which includes a fixed fee for unlimited access to certain therapies, Trusheim explained. Cigna has an insurance product that offers this reimbursement model, where plan members contribute a certain amount each month that is used to pay for therapies as needed. Cigna takes on the risk, guaranteeing that they will provide as much therapy as the members require.

This model is a great example of how payers can manage the actuarial fluctuation that occurs when funding cell and gene therapies, Trusheim said. But it comes with its challenges, because in some cases, its difficult to ascertain the eligible population for a particular therapy especially if there are alternate therapies already available.

But Trusheim is confident that innovation in reimbursement will catch up to clinical innovation in the precision medicine arena.

Were now in an era where innovation in payment structures and approaches are beginning to match the kind of innovation we have in the transformative science for patients, he said. Successfully providing patient access and benefit requires both kinds of innovation, not just scientific innovation. The creativity is there we are going to succeed. Just as the science has succeeded, the payment innovation is also moving forward and having success.

Photo credit: Devrimb, Getty Images

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Innovative payment models to support cell and gene therapies on the rise - MedCity News

Dublin, Dec. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Gene Therapy Global Market Report 2020-30: COVID-19 Growth and Change" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Gene Therapy Global Market Report 2020-30: COVID-19 Growth and Change provides the strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the global gene therapy market market.

Major players in the gene therapy market are Novartis AG, Bluebird Bio, Inc., Spark Therapeutics, Inc., Audentes Therapeutics, Voyager Therapeutics, Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation, UniQure N.V., Celgene Corporation, Cellectis S.A. and Sangamo Therapeutics.

The global gene therapy market is expected to decline from $3.22 billion in 2019 to $3.18 billion in 2020 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -1.30%. The decline is mainly due to the COVID-19 outbreak that has led to restrictive containment measures involving social distancing, remote working, and the closure of industries and other commercial activities resulting in operational challenges. The market is then expected to recover and reach $6.84 billion in 2023 at a CAGR of 29.09%.

The gene therapy market consists of sales of gene therapy related services by entities (organizations, sole traders and partnerships) that manufacture gene therapy drugs. Gene therapy is used to replace faulty genes or add new genes to cure disease or improve the body's ability to fight disease. Only goods and services traded between entities or sold to end consumers are included.

North America was the largest region in the gene therapy market in 2019.

The gene therapy market covered in this report is segmented by gene type into antigen; cytokine; suicide gene; others. It is also segmented by vector into viral vector; non-viral vector; others, by application into oncological disorders; rare diseases; cardiovascular diseases; neurological disorders; infectious diseases; others, and by end users into hospitals; homecare; specialty clinics; others.

In December 2019, Roche, a Switzerland-based company, completed its acquisition of Spark Therapeutics for $4.3 billion. With this deal, Roche is expected to strengthen its presence in the gene therapy segment, support transformational therapies and increase its product portfolio. Spark Therapeutics is a US-based company involved in gene therapy.

The high prices of gene therapy medicines are expected to limit the growth of the gene therapy market. The pressure to contain costs and demonstrate value is widespread. Political uncertainty and persistent economic stress in numerous countries are calling into question the sustainability of public health care funding. In less wealthy countries, the lack of cost-effective therapies for cancer and other diseases has influenced the health conditions of the population and has led to a low average life expectancy.

Luxturna, a one-time treatment for acquired retinal eye disease, costs $850,000 in the US and 613,410 in the UK, despite a markdown that is applied through Britain's National Health Service. Zolgensma, for spinal muscular atrophy, is valued at $2.1 million in the US and Zynteglo, which focuses on a rare genetic blood disorder, costs $1.78 million, thus restraining the growth of the market.

The use of machine learning and artificial intelligence is gradually gaining popularity in the gene therapy market. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence in machines, which are programmed to display their natural intelligence. Machine learning is a part of AI.

Machine learning and AI help companies in the gene therapy market to conduct a detailed analysis of all relevant data, provide insights between tumor and immune cell interactions, and offer a more accurate evaluation of tissue samples often conflicted between different evaluators. For instance, since January 2020, GlaxoSmithKline, a pharmaceutical company, has been investing in AI to optimize gene therapy and develop off-the-shelf solutions for patients. It is also expected to reduce turnaround time and also the cost of gene therapies.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Summary

2. Gene Therapy Market Characteristics

3. Gene Therapy Market Size And Growth 3.1. Global Gene Therapy Historic Market, 2015 - 2019, $ Billion 3.1.1. Drivers Of The Market 3.1.2. Restraints On The Market 3.2. Global Gene Therapy Forecast Market, 2019 - 2023F, 2025F, 2030F, $ Billion 3.2.1. Drivers Of The Market 3.2.2. Restraints On the Market

4. Gene Therapy Market Segmentation 4.1. Global Gene Therapy Market, Segmentation By Gene Type, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2019, 2023F, 2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

4.2. Global Gene Therapy Market, Segmentation By Vector, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2019, 2023F, 2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

4.3. Global Gene Therapy Market, Segmentation By Application, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2019, 2023F, 2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

4.4. Global Gene Therapy Market, Segmentation By End Users, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2019, 2023F, 2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

5. Gene Therapy Market Regional And Country Analysis 5.1. Global Gene Therapy Market, Split By Region, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2019, 2023F, 2025F, 2030F, $ Billion 5.2. Global Gene Therapy Market, Split By Country, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2019, 2023F, 2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

Companies Mentioned

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/y5rj2q

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Global Gene Therapy Market Report 2020: Market is Expected to Recover and Reach $6.84 Billion in 2023 - Forecast to 2030 - GlobeNewswire

Older, male patients with more severe underlying conditions and a greater risk of death tended to be more accepting of new approaches such as stem cell research

A new review of research bringing together patient, carer and public views of cell and gene therapies has highlighted a need for appropriate education to better inform people including how clinical trials work and the risks and benefits of various treatments.

Over the last decade, new cell, gene and tissue-engineered therapies have been developed to treat various cancers, inherited diseases and some chronic conditions. They offer opportunities for the treatment of disease and injury, to restore function, and in some cases offer cures. In response the NHS Advanced Therapies Treatment Centres (ATTCs) were set up to bring together the health service, academia and industry to address the unique and complex challenges of bringing these therapies to patients.

Led by experts from the Centre for Patient Reported Outcome Research (CPROR) at the University of Birmingham and the Midlands and Wales ATTC (MW-ATTC), the review, funded by a MW-ATTC grant from UK Research and Innovation is the first of its kind and the first to consider both patient and public opinions of cell and gene therapies. Examining 35 studies, the majority of which were published between 2015 and 2020, analysis showed that a lack of understanding of the aims of clinical trials and overestimation of the potential benefits of cell and gene therapy were common among both patients and the general public. Patients were generally of the opinion that more information about participating in clinical trials is vital to enable them to make informed assessment of potential risks and benefits.

Older, male patients with more severe underlying conditions and a greater risk of death tended to be more accepting of new approaches such as stem cell research and generally, while views of therapies varied among patients, the provision of adequate information increased acceptance.

Interestingly the review also found that patients considered their clinicians to be the most trustworthy source of information which would suggest that patients would approach and discuss these treatments with their physicians. However, researchers found that this might not always be the case due to a number of reasons including the perception that clinicians do not always approve of cell and gene therapies and may try to discourage them from pursuing treatment and may not have enough knowledge of the field to provide adequate advice.

Lead author Dr Olalekan Lee Aiyegbusi, Co-Deputy Director of the Centre for Patient Reported Outcomes Research (CPROR) said: The findings from this research are intended to inform the patient engagement work of the ATTCs. We hope that by highlighting various issues, efforts will be made to correct misconceptions, and improve the awareness of patients and the public about the potential benefits and risks associated with cell and gene therapies.

It is important that the public and patients are aware of these therapies, understand the issues involved, and can contribute to the ongoing debates. A high level of awareness will also enhance patients ability to make informed decisions about participating in clinical trials and routine administration of cell and gene therapies.

The full paper Patient and public perspectives on cell and gene therapies: a systematic review was published today (Tuesday 8 December 2020) in Nature Communications.

ENDS

For more information please contact Sophie Belcher, Communications Manager, University of Birmingham, on +44 7815607157. Alternatively, contact the Press Office out of hours on +44 (0)7789 921165.

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20096-1.Full paper: http://www.nature.com/ncomms

The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the worlds top 100 institutions, and its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers and teachers and more than 6,500 international students from nearly 150 countries.

About the Midlands and Wales ATTC (MW-ATTC)

The 9M Midlands and Wales Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre (MW-ATTC) is one of three national Innovate UK funded centres whose goal is to accelerate the delivery of advanced therapies.

It is a regional network spanning the Midlands & Wales comprising a large consortium of industry, healthcare and university partners with expertise in advanced therapy manufacturing including academic and commercial partners, logistics companies, specialists in clinical trial delivery and teams focussed on IT logistics solutions and health economics.

The aim of the MW-ATTC is to enable UK advanced therapy companies to reach the clinical market, whilst simultaneously building clinical capacity regionally to deliver these breakthrough therapies to patients.

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Better education needed to give patients improved understanding of gene therapies, new review highlights - University of Birmingham

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The global viral vectors and plasmid DNA manufacturing market was valued at $319.01 million in 2019 and is expected to reach over $1.3 billion by 2027, according to a report from Precedence Research, which points out that viral vectors have become ideal for gene transfer due to their efficient gene delivery, high transfection efficiency, and stable gene expression. Further, an upsurge in the registration of clinical trials on viral vectormediated gene therapy is stimulating demand for viral vectors in gene transfer.

The growing pervasiveness of target disorders and diseases, the accessibility of funding for gene therapy development, current research into viral vectorbased cell and gene therapies, and efficacy of viral vectors in gene therapy delivery are together supporting the marketgrowth, notes the Precedence Research study.

The adeno associated virus (AAV) vector is the platform of choice for delivering gene therapeutics. But, as Nice Insight reports, the biggest challenges facing gene therapy lie in the areas of process development, manufacturing, and analytical technologies.

To address these issues we put together this special supplement entitled Navigating the Complexities of AAV Scale-Up and Manufacturing. Inside you will find ideas and advice on choosing the right starting material, ensuring the right scalable platform technology for maximizing titer, optimizing the AAV downstream purification process, and carrying out approved product process, characterization and QC testing for lot release. Leading gene therapy scientists in academia and experts in industry have been interviewed for critical insights on these topics. They will also give their thoughts on the future of the gene therapy industry, its trajectory over the next 5 to 10 years and the technologies that will accelerate further development of this field.

Sponsored by:

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Navigating the Complexities of AAV Scale-Up and Manufacturing - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

BEIJING & CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--EdiGene, Inc., which develops genome editing technologies to accelerate drug discovery and develop novel therapeutics for a broad range of diseases, today announced the appointment of Bo Zhang, Ph.D., as Head of the US Subsidiary, and Kehua Fan, M.D., as Head of Business Development. Both will report to Dr. Dong Wei, CEO of EdiGene.

Our company and R&D portfolio are entering into an exciting phase, as evidenced by the recent close of Series B financing and submission of the first gene editing product IND in China, said Dong Wei, Ph.D.CEO of EdiGene, Translating cutting-edge gene editing technologies into innovative solutions for patients requires deep internal R&D expertise as well as strong external partnerships. We are delighted to have Dr. Zhang and Dr. Fan join us at this significant stage of growth. Their extensive experience and proven track record in advancing innovative therapies, in addition to strong leadership skills, will help us to strengthen our portfolio and accelerate technology translation to help patients in need.

Dr. Zhang has around 20 years of experience in research and drug development in both industry and academia in the US. Prior to joining EdiGene, he was Vice President of KLUS Pharma and focused on cell therapy and new technologies. Before that, he was Director of Development at Cobalt Biomedicine leading CAR-T and other cell/gene therapy programs, and R&D Director at OvaScience developing stem cell-based products. Prior to that, he held various oncology research and development positions at Merrimack Pharmaceuticals and Archemix. Dr. Zhang completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School/Boston Childrens Hospital. He received his B.S. degree from Henan Normal University, M.S. degree from Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ph.D. from University of New Hampshire.

Dr. Kehua Fan has over 15 years of Business Development, Clinical Development of innovative drugs and other healthcare industry experience with MNCs and biotech companies. Before EdiGene, she served as Head of Strategy and Partnership at Junshi Biosciences, in charge of pipeline development strategy focus on oncology, autoimmune and metabolic diseases along with external partnership. Before that, she held positions in business development, clinical development strategy and operation on various therapeutic areas at Quintiles, GSK, Sanofi and Pfizer. She started her career as a General Surgeon at Zhongshan Hospital of Chongqing. She received a masters degree in Cardiovascular Pharmacology from West China Medical Center of Sichuan University and a bachelors degree in Clinical Medicine from Soochow University.

About EdiGene, IncEdiGene is a biotechnology company focused on leveraging the cutting-edge genome editing technologies to accelerate drug discovery and develop novel therapeutics for a broad range of genetic diseases and cancer. The company has established its proprietary ex vivo genome-editing platforms for hematopoietic stem cells and T cells, in vivo therapeutic platform based on RNA base editing, and high-throughput genome-editing screening to discover novel targeted therapies. Founded in 2015, EdiGene is headquartered in Beijing, with subsidiaries in Guangzhou, China and Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. More information can be found at http://www.edigene.com.

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EdiGene Expands Management Team by Appointment of Head of US Subsidiary Dr. Bo Zhang and Head of Business Development Dr. Kehua Fan - Business Wire

CSL bought the rights to EtranaDez off Netherlands company uniQure this year for $US450 million.

Its current haemophilia B treatment, Idelvion, has a 30 per cent market share, but Dr Storey believes that if EntranaDez is successful, this would rise to at least 40 per cent.

The upside to the CSL Behring division's earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation would be about 4 per cent, and potentially 6 per cent if it also acts as a defence to Idelvion against non-factor therapies being developed by competitors. Non-factor therapies have already disrupted the haemophilia A market.

Dr Storey said CSL's haemophilia business was an often "overlooked driver of margins".

Based on consultations with experts in the industry, he and co-author Melissa Benson set a success target of 20 per cent factor IX activity. Haemophilia B patients are deficient in factor IX, the protein that allows blood to clot. Most people have more than 50 per cent factor IX in their blood.

He said that if this level of activity was achieved, it would be a "knock-out" result, which would lead to meaningful clinical adoption.

The EtranaDez trial is likely to be a focal point of CSL's R&D day next Tuesday and clinical trial results are expected this month.

The gene therapy would be a one-shot option for haemophilia B patients and the duration that it would be effective for is unknown. However, the report by Wilsons suggested it would need a minimum durability of three to five years, but should ideally target an eight to 10-year timeframe, which would make reimbursement justification easier.

"Haematologists are hopeful it could last over 10 years," Dr Storey said. "You've only got one shot on goal with a gene therapy like this and it'll be a $US2-3 million shot so don't drop it."

If the drug was successful, Dr Storey said it could galvanise CSL's investment into gene therapy and spur more acquisitions by it in the emerging field.

He said there was no doubt CSL would invest more in gene therapy. "You're seeing so much competition on so many aspects of their business, they inevitably have to participate more and more in that.

"[In terms of acquisitions] it's more likely to be of the sorts developing alternatives to intravenous immunoglobulin.

"They need things that are fairly close to market. Looking at its R&D pipeline, the next big thing is CSL 112, which is still some years away, so they do have a gap in the pipeline."

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New CSL gene therapy could trigger a stock rerating - The Australian Financial Review

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Cancer Gene Therapy Market Size & Share Insights on Growing Applications by 2026 - re:Jerusalem

Perhaps some of the most important contributions to science is the ability to manipulate DNA. A notable discovery is humulin, the genetically modified insulin. By reducing the cost and increasing the safety, the treatment improved the quality of life for millions of patients. Since humulins approval in 1978, hundreds of gene therapy treatments have been approved. Scientists can insert a normal gene to compensate for the defective one an individual was born with.

Over the past few decades, all the developments in gene therapy are countered by religious, ethical, and socioeconomic concerns over its misuse. The most prominent argument against gene therapy is whether we should edit the genes to treat disease. It is often regarded as unnatural and dangerous because we cannot foresee the effects down the line. The idea of picking and choosing your genes leads to comparisons between gene therapy and eugenics. It is important to note that the eugenics movement sought to increase desirable qualities of select races, whereas gene therapy seeks to improve the quality of life for patients.

Current drugs for a lot of diseases merely treat, rather than targeting the source of the illness. The vast majority of diseases have a genetic component. This makes it so critical to continue developing new therapies. People value their health and if gene therapy can improve the lives people would have had, then its worth it. There are therapies for hemophilia, sickle cell anemia, and certain kinds of cancer. If gene therapy is regarded as a form of enhancement, then consider all the other things people do to change themselves: plastic surgery, cosmetic improvements, diet and exercise. Scientists in the United Kingdom have been working to treat mitochondrial diseases by creating three parent embryos. This is a type of in-vitro fertilization that takes a healthy mitochondria from a third parent. Because the mitochondria, usually inherited only from the mother, has its own DNA, it can be said that the child has three parents.

With gene therapies, we are changing the course of evolution. Treating diseases at the level of DNA once seemed like science fiction. With all of the recent advancements in science, it is possible to turn it into a reality. Despite the ethical concerns, the number of treatments approved by the FDA show that they have potential to improve peoples lives.

The treatment is only as accessible as it is affordable. Novartis Pharmaceuticals new therapy Zolgensma made headlines for its hefty $2.1 million price tag. It is meant to treat spinal muscular atrophy; a muscular degenerative disorder where the patients only live a few years. Not all insurance companies cover Zolgensma, leaving families wondering how to acquire this life saving treatment. This is the most expensive therapy out there, but highlights how cost can leave families scrambling to provide relief for their children. The cost of all gene therapy medications should be made affordable so medication can do its job of improving quality of life. There is the fear that only the wealthy will have access to gene therapies.

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Gene Therapy: Healing remedy or harmful hoax? The Knight News - The Knight News

Polyplus-transfection presents latest solution portfolio for gene therapy market to Alliance for Regenerative Medicines Meeting on the Mesa

Strasbourg, France, October 12, 2020 Polyplus-transfection(R)SAthe leading biotechnology company that supports the gene and cell therapy market bysupplying innovative transfection solutions, today announces it will present its latest integrated solution to support viral vector manufacturing from process development through to commercialization for the gene therapy sector. The presentation will be delivered at theAlliance for Regenerative Medicine(ARM) annual conference, the 2020 VirtualCell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa. The meeting will be held between Monday October 12 and Friday October 16, 2020.

The Polyplus-transfection presentation will be delivered by Graldine Gurin-Peyrou, Director, Polyplus-transfection and will be available to view on demandonlinethroughout the conference.

Polyplus-transfection specializes in working with viral vector developers and manufacturers to provide innovativetransfection reagentsthat can boost viral vector production. The new Polyplus-transfection complete solution has been designed and developed to improve the critical element in gene therapy production the upstream process development for viral vector manufacturing.

The Polyplus solution involves the development of dedicated transfection reagents depending upon the viral vector type required. This includes first targeting the AAV manufacturing with Polyplus-transfections novel transfection reagentFectoVIR-AAV, The reagent has been specifically developed to improve AAV (adeno-associated virus) production in suspension cell culture system for large-scale manufacturing.

The Polyplus solution also gives the gene therapy market access to the industrysfirst GMP compliant testfor the Polyplus-transfection PEIpro product range to detect residual transfection reagent during the production of ATMPs (advanced therapeutic medicinal products). GMP guidelines specify manufacturers should be aware of both the residual levels of raw materials used in drug products, and the significance of these results. These regulations ensure manufacturers reliably determine residual raw material levels and thus maintain reproducible safety of ATMPs for patient administration. The Polyplus test is able to detect and quantify residual PEIpro throughout the ATMP manufacturing process. As a result, it can be used as a release quality control. The test can be adapted for each ATMP in order to ensure the lowest limits of detection.

Finally, the Polyplus solution is the first globally toenable access to dual sourcing for reagents. This will mitigate the risks to the ATMP industry as the sole provider of the PEIpro-GMP transfection reagent, the most used transfection reagent worldwide and a critical component for the development and manufacture of ATMPs for gene therapies. The dual sourcing approach enables Polyplus to source its PEIpro-GMP product from two distinct subcontracting manufacturing plants. Polyplus is able to ensure sole responsibility and control of the process. ATMP manufacturers are then able to have Polyplus as a single point of contact whilst benefiting from increased production capacity and shortened lead times.

ATMPs and gene therapies are moving through late-stage trials and to commercialization at an exponential rate. This in turn is vastly increasing the demand for GMP reagents. In addition, ATMP therapies are becoming progressively more complex, and this means that Polyplus-transfection has to increase its services to the gene therapy sector, alongside its products, said Graldine Gurin-Peyrou, Director, Polyplus-transfection. Communicating these services to the gene therapy market through the Alliance for Regenerative Medicines Meeting on the Mesa is essential for us as we move forward in our delivery of critical reagents that will ultimately result in therapies reaching patients.

About Polyplus-transfection SA

Polyplus-transfection(R) SA is the leading biotechnology company that supports Gene and Cell therapy, along with other biologics manufacturing and life science research with innovative nucleic acid transfection solutions. Polyplus-transfections strengths are 20 years of experience in manufacturing transfection solutions with tailored scientific and regulatory support to accelerate research and clinical development. Based on the Science Park close to Strasbourg (France), Polyplus-transfection offers an extensive and growing range of transfection reagents available worldwide. For more information, please visit the Polyplus-transfection web site at:www.polyplus-transfection.com.

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Polyplus-transfection presents latest solution portfolio for gene therapy market to Alliance for Regenerative Medicine's Meeting on the Mesa -...

Oct. 14, 2020 11:00 UTC

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Taysha Gene Therapies Inc. (Nasdaq: TSHA), a patient-centric gene therapy company focused on developing and commercializing AAV-based gene therapies for the treatment of monogenic diseases of the central nervous system in both rare and large patient populations, today announced that it has received rare pediatric disease designation and orphan drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for TSHA-102, an AAV9-based gene therapy in development for the treatment of Rett syndrome. Taysha anticipates that it will submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for TSHA-102 to the FDA in 2021.

Rett syndrome is one of the most common genetic causes of severe intellectual disability worldwide, with a prevalence of over 25,000 cases in the U.S. and European Union (EU). It is an X-linked disease that primarily occurs in females, but it can be seen very rarely in males. It is usually recognized in children between six to 18 months of age as they begin to miss developmental milestones or lose abilities they had developed. Individuals with Rett syndrome also show symptoms that include loss of speech, loss of purposeful use of hands, loss of mobility, seizures, cardiac impairments, breathing issues and sleep disturbances.

Patients with Rett syndrome are currently managed with symptomatic treatments as there are no therapies approved to treat the underlying cause of disease, said Berge Minassian, M.D., Chief Medical Advisor of Taysha and Chief of Pediatric Neurology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern). Dr. Minassian is credited with describing the CNS isoform of the MECP2 gene which is responsible for neuronal and synaptic function throughout the brain. Gene therapy offers a potentially curative option for patients suffering with Rett syndrome.

Rett syndrome is caused by mutations in the MECP2 gene. TSHA-102 is designed to deliver a healthy version of the MECP2 gene as well as the miRNA-Responsive Auto-Regulatory Element, miRARE, platform technology to control the level of MECP2 expression. TSHA-102 represents an important step forward in the field of gene therapy, where we are leveraging a novel regulatory platform called miRARE to prevent the overexpression of MECP2, said Steven Gray, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Advisor of Taysha and Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at UT Southwestern. In collaboration with Sarah Sinnett, Ph.D. to develop miRARE, our goal was to design a regulated construct that allowed us to control MECP2 expression to potentially avoid adverse events that are typically seen with unregulated gene therapies.

The FDA defines a rare pediatric disease as a serious or life-threatening disease in which the disease manifestations primarily affect individuals aged from birth to 18 years. Pediatric diseases recognized as "rare" affect under 200,000 people in the U.S. The Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher Program is intended to address the challenges that drug companies face when developing treatments for these unique patient populations. Under this program, companies are eligible to receive a priority review voucher following approval of a product with rare pediatric disease designation if the marketing application submitted for the product satisfies certain conditions. If issued, a sponsor may redeem a priority review voucher for priority review of a subsequent marketing application for a different product candidate, or the priority review voucher could be sold or transferred to another sponsor.

Orphan drug designation is granted by the FDA Office of Orphan Products Development to investigational treatments that are intended for the treatment of rare diseases affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S.

Obtaining these designations is a validation of decades-long work to identify and optimize a potential gene therapy treatment for this devastating disease, said RA Session II, President, CEO and Founder of Taysha. We are also excited to advance our miRARE platform whereby regulated expression of a transgene is possible on a cellular basis. The miRARE platform has broad applicability across a wide range of monogenic CNS disorders where there is a need to control transgene expression.

About Taysha Gene Therapies

Taysha Gene Therapies (Nasdaq: TSHA) is on a mission to eradicate monogenic CNS disease. With a singular focus on developing curative medicines, we aim to rapidly translate our treatments from bench to bedside. We have combined our teams proven experience in gene therapy drug development and commercialization with the world-class UT Southwestern Gene Therapy Program to build an extensive, AAV gene therapy pipeline focused on both rare and large-market indications. Together, we leverage our fully integrated platforman engine for potential new cureswith a goal of dramatically improving patients lives. More information is available at http://www.tayshagtx.com.

About miRARE

For disorders that require replacement of dose-sensitive genes, we have combined high-throughput microRNA, or miRNA, profiling and genome mining to create miRNA-Responsive Auto-Regulatory Element, or miRARE, our novel miRNA target panel. This approach is designed to enable our product candidates to maintain safe transgene expression levels in the brain. This built-in regulation system is fully endogenous, and does not require any additional exogenous drug application. Instead, the miRARE system utilizes endogenous transgene-responsive miRNA to downregulate transgene expression in the event that overexpression occurs. miRARE may be applicable to a range of diseases where overexpression of a therapeutic transgene is a concern.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as anticipates, believes, expects, intends, projects, and future or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning or implying the potential of our product candidates, including TSHA-102, to positively impact quality of life and alter the course of disease in the patients we seek to treat, the benefits of, and our ability to develop product candidates using, miRARE, our research, development and regulatory plans for our product candidates, the potential benefits of rare pediatric disease designation and orphan drug designation to our product candidates, the potential for these product candidates to receive regulatory approval from the FDA or equivalent foreign regulatory agencies, and whether, if approved, these product candidates will be successfully distributed and marketed. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, these forward-looking statements do not constitute guarantees of future performance, and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Risks regarding our business are described in detail in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including in our prospectus dated September 23, 2020, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on September 24, 2020, pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, which is available on the SECs website at http://www.sec.gov. Additional information will be made available in other filings that we make from time to time with the SEC. Such risks may be amplified by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any obligation to update these statements except as may be required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201014005319/en/

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Taysha Gene Therapies Receives Rare Pediatric Disease Designation and Orphan Drug Designation for TSHA-102 as a Treatment for Rett Syndrome - BioSpace

Mercks New VirusExpress Platform Speeds Development of Cell and Gene Therapies

Darmstadt, Germany, October 13, 2020 Merck, a leading science and technology company, has bolstered its viral vector manufacturing capabilities with the launch of its VirusExpress Lentiviral Production Platform. This new platform helps to overcome lentiviral production challenges and can reduce process development time by approximately 40 percent, based on Mercks experience as a contract development and manufacturing organization.

Cell and gene therapies offer the potential for curative treatments and are being developed and commercialized in half the time it has taken traditional therapies, said Angela Myers, head of Gene Editing & Novel Modalities, Life Science, at Merck. We are committed to accelerating manufacturing of cell and gene therapies with the ultimate goal of getting these lifesaving treatments to patients faster. By increasing dose yields and dramatically reducing process development time, this new platform will help us reach this goal.

Using a suspension cell line rather than an adherent-based production, coupled with a chemically defined cell culture media and process with built-in scalability, Mercks VirusExpress Platform meets multiple market needs. In addition to accelerating process development, the suspension culture format allows each batch of virus to be larger yielding more patient doses. Additionally, suspension culture is amenable to true scale-up, while being less labor-intensive. The chemically defined medium eliminates the safety, regulatory and supply chain concerns related to animal- and human-derived materials.

Mercks VirusExpress Platform offers a simplified upstream workflow, making processes easier to manage, adjust and scale. Flexible licensing allows companies to manufacture vectors by using either Mercks contract manufacturing capabilities, a third-party contract development and manufacturing organization, or in-house development.

The Life Science business of Merck is a leading contract development and manufacturing organization combining an integrated portfolio of manufacturing solutions with proven commercialization experience. This new offering underscores Mercks continued investment in cell and gene therapies. In April 2020, the company announced a new 100 million, 140,000-square-foot manufacturing center at its Carlsbad, California, USA, location that will double the existing production capacity and support large-scale commercial manufacturing. Today, the Life Science business of Merck manufactures vectors for two of the first five FDA-approved cell and gene therapies.

The cell and gene therapy market is growing rapidly and continues to show great promise. According to market research leader Arizton, the cell and gene therapy market is expected to reach more than $6.6 billion by 2024[1]. Merck has been involved in this space since clinical trials for gene therapy began in the 1990s.

Operator manufacturing viral vector in a cGMP environment. Mercksnew VirusExpressPlatformincreases dose yields and reduces process development time for cell and gene therapies.

All Merck news releases are distributed by email at the same time they become available on the Merck Website. Please go to http://www.merckgroup.com/subscribe to register online, change your selection or discontinue this service.

About Merck

Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 57,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of peoples lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices the company is everywhere. In 2019, Merck generated sales of 16.2 billion in 66 countries.

Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Mercks technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Performance Materials.

[1] http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-cell-and-gene-therapy-market-to-reach-revenues-of-over-6-6-billion-by-2024---market-research-by-arizton-300957463.html

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Merck's New VirusExpress Platform Speeds Development of Cell and Gene Therapies - PharmiWeb.com

NEW YORK, Oct. 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Axovant Gene Therapies Ltd. (NASDAQ: AXGT), a clinical-stage company developing innovative gene therapies for neurological diseases, today announced that it has received Rare Pediatric Disease Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for AXO-AAV-GM2, a one-time gene therapy delivered directly to the central nervous system that is in development for GM2 gangliosidosis, also known as Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff disease. In addition to the Rare Pediatric Disease designation, AXO-AAV-GM2 has Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) and is the first gene therapy that has been administered to children with Tay-Sachs disease.

We are thrilled to bring AXO-AAV-GM2 one step closer to patients in need through this Rare Pediatric Disease designation. AXO-AAV-GM2 has the potential to be the first treatment approved for Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff disease, rare and fatal pediatric diseases with no current treatment options, said Sean OBryan, Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs & Quality.

Axovant expects to evaluate AXO-AAV-GM2 in a registrational clinical trial which consists of a Stage 1 dose-ranging study and a Stage 2 efficacy study. Previously, Axovant reported the first evidence for potential disease modification in Tay-Sachs disease from an expanded access study administering investigational AXO-AAV-GM2 gene therapy in two patients with infantile (Type I) Tay-Sachs disease. AXO-AAV-GM2 was successfully administered in both patients and has been generally well-tolerated to date, with no serious adverse events or clinically relevant laboratory abnormalities related to therapy.

GM2 gangliosidosis, also known as Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff disease, is a rare and fatal pediatric neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorder (LSD) resulting from deficiencies in beta-hexosaminidase, a key enzyme in the lysosome. These genetic defects lead to the toxic accumulation of gangliosides, resulting in neurodegeneration and life expectancy shortened to just two to four years of age.

The FDA defines a rare pediatric disease as a serious or life-threatening disease in which the disease manifestations primarily affect individuals aged from birth to 18 years. Pediatric diseases recognized as rare affect under 200,000 people in the United States.

About AXO-AAV-GM2

AXO-AAV-GM2 is an investigational gene therapy for Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff disease, which rare and fatal pediatric neurodegenerative genetic disorders within the GM2 gangliosidosis family, caused by defects in the HEXA (leading to Tay-Sachs disease) or HEXB (leading to Sandhoff disease) genes that encode the two subunits of the -hexosaminidase A (HexA) enzyme. Both forms of GM2 gangliosidosis are caused by overwhelming storage of GM2 ganglioside within neurons throughout the central nervous system), which is normally degraded in the lysosome by the isozyme HexA. These genetic defects lead to progressive neurodegeneration and shortened life expectancy. AXO-AAV-GM2 aims to restore HexA levels by introducing a functional copy of the HEXA and HEXB genes via delivery of two co-administered AAVrh8 vectors.

In 2018, Axovant licensed exclusive worldwide rights from the University of Massachusetts Medical School for the development and commercialization of gene therapy programs for GM1 gangliosidosis and GM2 gangliosidosis, including Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff diseases.

About Axovant Gene Therapies

Axovant Gene Therapies is a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on developing a pipeline of innovative product candidates for debilitating neurodegenerative diseases. Our current pipeline of gene therapy candidates targets GM1 gangliosidosis, GM2 gangliosidosis (also known as Tay-Sachs disease and Sandhoff disease), and Parkinsons disease. Axovant is focused on accelerating product candidates into and through clinical trials with a team of experts in gene therapy development and through external partnerships with leading gene therapy organizations. For more information, visit http://www.axovant.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. The use of words such as intended, "may," "might," "will," "would," "should," "expect," "believe," "estimate," and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. For example, all statements Axovant makes regarding costs associated with its operating activities are forward-looking. All forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions by Axovants management that, although Axovant believes to be reasonable, are inherently uncertain. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those that Axovant expected. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on our operations, the initiation and conduct of preclinical studies and clinical trials; the availability of data from clinical trials; the scaling up of manufacturing, the expectations for regulatory submissions and approvals; the continued development of our gene therapy product candidates and platforms; Axovants scientific approach and general development progress; and the availability or commercial potential of Axovants product candidates. These statements are also subject to a number of material risks and uncertainties that are described in Axovants most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 11, 2020, as updated by its subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it was made. Axovant undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts:

Media & Investors

Josephine Belluardo, Ph.D.LifeSci Communications646-751-4361jo@lifescicomms.commedia@axovant.com

Parag MeswaniAxovant Gene Therapies Ltd.(212) 547-2523investors@axovant.com

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Axovant Gene Therapies Receives Rare Pediatric Disease Designation for AXO-AAV-GM2 for Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff Disease - GlobeNewswire

ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Foundation to Fight H-ABC, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness and driving development of a cure for the degenerative children's disease, H-ABC, today announced a sponsored research agreement with the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Yale University to advance a targeted gene therapy for H-ABC.

"We have high hopes to quickly prove efficacy with this approach to move research forward and find a permanent cure for this devastating disease," said Michele Sloan, Co-Founder, Foundation to Fight H-ABC.

H-ABC (hypomyelination with atrophy of the basal ganglia and cerebellum) belongs to a group of conditions called leukodystrophies, diseases that affect the white matter of the brain. These diseases disrupt the growth or maintenance of the myelin sheath, a protective layer that insulates nerve cells and allows for the transmission of messages between cells.

Caused by a mutation in the TUBB4A gene, H-ABC is a rare genetic disorder that affects certain parts of the brainspecifically the basal ganglia and the cerebellum, which control movement. H-ABC targets these important structures, reducing both their size and function. As a result, children who suffer from H-ABC often experience motor problems, cannot walk, talk, or sit on their own. Currently, there is no known cure for this disabling and life-threatening condition.

The teams of Dr. Guangping Gao (University of Massachusetts Medical School) and Dr. Karel Liem (Yale School of Medicine) will combine extensive expertise in the fields of Adeno-associated virus (AAV), a platform for gene delivery for the treatment of a variety of human diseases and H-ABC disease models, to develop AAV vectors to silence or outcompete the mutated TUBB4A gene.

"To date, AAV-based gene delivery system is the vector of choice for in vivo gene therapy of many currently untreatable rare diseases including H-ABC," said Guangping Gao, Ph.D. "We are very excited for starting close collaborations with Dr. Liem's team at Yale and the Foundation to Fight H-ABC to develop potential gene therapeutics for this devastating disease."

"With the support from the Foundation to Fight H-ABC, we are excited to build upon our mechanistic studies of the disease and to collaborate with Dr. Gao of the University of Massachusetts to develop and test AAV approaches to H-ABC," saidKarel F Liem Jr., M.D., Ph.D.

For more information, please visit https://www.h-abc.org/donate.

CONTACT: Sawyer Lipari, [emailprotected]

SOURCE Foundation to Fight H-ABC

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Foundation to Fight H-ABC, University of Massachusetts Medical School and Yale University Initiate Gene Therapy Study Targeting Cure for Rare Disease...

(L-R) Jason C. Foster, MBAChief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Arman Amini, PhDHead of Cell Processing, Farlan Veraitch, PhDCo-founder and Chief Scientific Officer, William Raimes, PhDHead of Process Development, Jason JonesChief Business Officer

Ori Biotech, a cell and gene therapy manufacturing firm, has closed a $30m (23m) Series A financing round, bringing the companys total funding to date to $41m.

The new funding will be used to help bring Oris manufacturing platform to the market.

The Ori platform is designed specifically to address the requirements of a new generation of personalised cell and gene therapies. The platform fully automates and standardises CGT manufacturing allowing for scale from pre-clinical process development to commercial-scale manufacturing.

The Series A investment was led by Northpond Ventures, a science, medical, and technology-driven venture fund, alongside Octopus Ventures, a European venture fund.

Northpond and Octopus invested alongside significant support from Oris existing institutional investors, Amadeus Capital Partners, Delin Ventures, and Kindred Capital.

Closing a significant Series A round, during these uncertain times, further validates Oris disruptive approach to fully automating cell and gene therapy manufacturing to increase throughput, improve quality, and decrease costs, said Jason C. Foster, CEO of Ori Biotech.

We are excited to work with our top tier investors and development partners to bring our platform to market as fast as possible to achieve our mission of enabling patient access to life-saving cell and gene therapies.

The London and New Jersey based company was founded in 2015 by Dr. Farlan Veraitch and Professor Chris Mason.

This new funding will allow us to continue addressing the significant challenges of providing high throughput, high quality, and cost-effective CGT manufacturing and to bring our novel platform into the clinic as quickly as possible to support the important work of our therapeutic developer partners, added Dr. Veraitch, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer.

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Ori Biotech's new cell and gene therapy platform raises 23m - BusinessCloud