Roche and Dyno in Gene Therapy Pact
Swiss pharma Roche has agreed to collaborate with US biotech Dyno Therapeutics to develop adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors for gene therapies for central nervous system (CNS) disease and liver-directed therapies.
Dyno will apply its proprietary CapsidMap platform to identify and design novel AAV capsids with improved functional properties.
The Massachusetts-based firm said CapsidMap uses artificial intelligence (AI) to rapidly discover and systematically optimize AAV capsids (the cell-targeting protein shell of viral vectors), significantly outperforming current approaches for in vivo gene delivery and expanding the range of diseases treatable with gene therapies.
Roche and its subsidiary Spark Therapeutics will be responsible for preclinical, clinical and commercialization activities for gene therapy product candidates using the novel capsids.
Under the terms of the transaction, Roche will pay Dyno an undisclosed upfront sum, as well as additional payments during the research phase. Dyno is also eligible to receive clinical and sales milestone payments and royalties for any resulting products. The total potential value of future milestone payments could exceed $1.8 billion.
“Dyno’s innovative AI-powered approach to designing optimized AAV vectors will further complement and build on our progress in gene therapy,” said James Sabry, head of Roche Pharma Partnering.
Eric Kelsic, Dyno’s CEO and co-founder, added that the partnership represents the company’s largest collaboration to date, noting that continuing interest by leading gene therapy developers is accelerating its growth plans and positive impact on patients.
Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist
