Biogen and Sangamo have unveiled plans to collaborate on a new global licensing agreement to develop and commercialise ST-501 for tauopathies including Alzheimer’s disease, and other neurological diseases.

The companies have detailed plans to leverage Sangamo’s proprietary zinc finger protein (ZFP) technology delivered via adeno-associated virus (AAV) to modulate the expression of key genes involved in neurological diseases.

In addition to Alzheimer’s, the partnership will focus on developing and commercialising ST-502 for synucleinopathies including Parkinson’s disease, a third undisclosed neuromuscular disease target, and up to nine additional undisclosed neurological disease targets.

The organisations will collaborate on a "new gene regulation therapy approach, working at the DNA level, with the potential to treat challenging neurological diseases of global significance. We aim to develop and advance these programs forward to investigational new drug applications," said Alfred Sandrock Jr, executive vice president, research and development at Biogen.

As it stands, there are no disease modifying treatments for patients with diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, mining there is an "urgency for the development of medicines that will not just address symptoms like the current standards of care, but slow or stop the progression of disease," reminded Sandy Macrae, chief executive officer of Sangamo.

He continued, "We believe that the promise of genomic medicine in neuroscience is to provide a one-time treatment for patients to alter their disease natural history by addressing the underlying cause at the genomic level."

Ultimately, Sangamo will receive $350 million comprised of $125 million in a license fee payment and $225 million from the sale of new Sangamo stock upon the closing of the transaction.

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