Methylmalonic Acidemia (MMA) Gene Therapy - Charles Venditti and Randy Chandler Dr. Charles Venditti and Dr. Randy Chandler discuss recent developments in gene therapy for methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) - a group of inherited disorders in which the body is unable to process... By: GenomeTV … Continue reading →

Washington, D.C.-basedgene therapy outfit Regenxbio just raised $30 million to bringits platforminto the clinic. The dollars will help Regenxbio generate clinical proof of concept data, as well as work toward in-licensing new programs. The companys also using the money to beef up its clinical and manufacturing processes, it said in a statement. Regenxbio has developed what it calls NAV Technology a form of adeno-associated viral gene therapy that treats lysosomal storage disorders and ocular disease. Its got drugs in the pipeline that treat Hurler syndrome, Hunter syndrome, wet age-related macular degeneration and X-linked retinitis pigmentosa. Heres how it works: In Hurler syndrome, for instance, children dont carry a gene that develops an enzyme called IDUA that breaks down complex sugars. These build up, and ultimately impairmental development, organ function, physical abilities and appearance. The NAV platform delivers a normal copy of the IDUA-producing gene which ultimately embeds itself into a patients DNA in a one-time doze so that patients can produce the enzyme. The research comes out of the University of Pennsylvania, and has been successful in vivo so its a matter of testing its efficacy in a real patient pool. The companys also out-licensing this technology for other indications, … Continue reading →

PHILADELPHIA, Penn., January 20, 2015- Spark Therapeutics, a late-stage gene therapy company developing treatments for debilitating genetic diseases, announced today it has initiated a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for the potential treatment of patients with choroideremia (CHM) utilizing its gene therapy product SPK-CHM. The Phase 1/2 trial is an open-label, dose-escalating trial designed to assess the safety and preliminary efficacy of sub-retinal administration of SPK-CHM. The Phase 1/2 trial will be conducted at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of Pennsylvania, and has plans to enroll up to 10 patients afflicted with the CHM genetic mutation. "Spark's groundbreaking announcement today brings real hope of a treatment for blindness caused by choroideremia, and promises to pave the way for treatments of other retinal diseases impacting millions of people around the World," said Dr. Chris Moen, President of the Choroideremia Research Foundation (curechm.org), the leading advocacy and fundraising organization focused on finding a cure for CHM. "The Choroideremia Research Foundation is proud to have provided key pre-clinical funding to Jean Bennett, MD, PhD and her team atthe Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania,that has helped bring us to the gene therapy human clinical trials being announced … Continue reading →