Sangamo Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SGMO) announced that it had formed a partnership with Biogen (BIIB) to develop treatments for a range of gene therapies for neurological disorders. This deal is for billions of dollars up for grabs, plus a significant upfront payment in consideration for this deal. This isn't the first deal that Sangamo had established with a big pharmaceutical. Another large deal entails one done with Pfizer (PFE), where both companies are co-developing SB-525 for the treatment of patients with Hemophilia A. Results using this gene therapy to treat this patient population were already reported to be positive.
Biogen Partnership Provides Significant Amount of Cash
Sangamo has been able to establish a solid deal with Biogen. The thing is that there are already 3 targets in mind. At least 2 of the targets are known, then 1 is undisclosed, then many other possible ones later down the line. They are:
- ST-501 for tauopathies such as Alzheimer's Disease
- ST-502 for synucleinopathies such as Parkinson's Disease
- Undisclosed neuromuscular target
- At least 9 other potential neurological indications
The thing is that all these indications are going to be targeted using Sangamo's Zinc Finger protein (ZFP) technology. What makes this ZFP tech so strong is that it is delivered using an adeno-associated virus (AAV). Most gene therapies now use AAVs or some variations of it in order to deliver the appropriate genes to correct the deficiency. Why the need for this partnership? That's because, at the moment, there are drugs that treat the symptoms of neurological disorders. In other words, the symptoms that these neurological disorders cause. However, current treatments don't actually target the underlying issues associated with them. If Sangamo and Biogen are successful, they will be able to target the underlying issues that these neurological disorders cause. Biogen definitely has a lot of faith in the technology that Sangamo provides, because it gave it an upfront payment of $350 million
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