ViGeneron and Daiichi Sankyo extend collaboration to develop a novel gene therapy for prevalent eye diseases

Munich, Germany-based ViGeneron enters this extended partnership following the announcement in early April of another strategic gene therapy collaboration with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals for one inherited retinal disease target.

ViGeneron GmbH, a next-generation gene therapy company, announced a follow-on cooperation with Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited (“Daiichi Sankyo”) to utilize ViGeneron’s novel engineered recombinant adeno-associated virus vectors (vgAAVs) to address an undisclosed target for the treatment of prevalent eye diseases. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Through a unique and stringent in vivo selection procedure, where an AAV2-based peptide-display library was intravenously administered in preclinical models followed by isolation of vector DNA from target cells after only 24 hours, ViGeneron identified and characterized two novel vgAAV vectors termed vgAAV.GL and vgAAV.NN. They enable widespread and high-level retinal transduction after intravitreal injection in a wide range of preclinical models and efficiently transduce photoreceptors in human retinal explant cultures. The two companies have worked together on this program since early 2021.

Co-founder and CEO of ViGeneron Dr. Caroline Man Xu commented: “Based on our partnership and findings, to date, we look forward to a successful follow-on collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo and potentially to developing a new sustained therapy that will address a dire need for many patients suffering from prevalent eye diseases. Furthermore, the advancement of our research agreement exemplifies the potential of our intravitreally injected vgAAV vectors for large and commercially significant disease areas.”

Dr. Caroline Man Xu, Co-Founder and CEO

“Based on our partnership and findings, to date, we look forward to a successful follow-on collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo and potentially to developing a new sustained therapy that will address a dire need for many patients suffering from prevalent eye diseases.”

Dr. Caroline Man Xu
Co-Founder and CEO

ViGeneron develops two novel next-generation gene therapy platforms
ViGeneron is dedicated to bringing gene therapy innovations to people in need. The company is advancing its proprietary gene therapy pipeline to treat ophthalmic diseases, while partnering with leading biopharmaceutical players in retinal diseases, CNS, and other disease areas. ViGeneron’s two novel next-generation gene therapy platforms are geared towards addressing the limitations of existing adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapies. The first, vgAAV vector platform, enables a superior transduction efficiency of target cells and is designed to overcome biological barriers, thus enabling novel, less invasive routes of administration such as intravitreal injections. The second, REVeRT (REconstitution Via mRNA Trans-splicing) technology platform, allows efficient reconstitution of large genes (>5Kb) in various tissues such as retina, brain, heart, liver, and skeletal muscle. Privately-owned ViGeneron was founded in 2017 by a seasoned team with in-depth experience in AAV vector technology and clinical ophthalmic gene therapy programs and is located in Munich, Germany. For further information, please visit www.vigeneron.com