DiNAQOR AG Announces Research Collaboration and License Agreement with UCL to Investigate Gene Therapies for Heart Failure

SAN FRANCISCO and PFÄFFIKON, Switzerland and LONDON, Jan. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- DiNAQOR AG, a global gene therapy platform company, today announced a research collaboration and exclusive license agreement with UCL to develop novel gene therapies for the treatment of monogenic cardiomyopathies, diseases of the heart muscle that can lead to heart failure in children and adults.

The collaboration will focus on the development of therapies targeting several genes using DiNAQOR's cardiac modular technology platform. Under the terms of the agreement, DiNAQOR and UCL will collaborate to advance DiNAQOR's two discovery cardiac gene therapy programs into clinical development. DiNAQOR will obtain exclusive worldwide rights to any therapies developed as part of the collaboration. If a product is successfully commercialized from the collaboration, UCL will be entitled to royalties on sales.

The license agreement was carried out by UCL's technology commercialisation company, UCL Business Ltd (UCLB), part of UCL Innovation & Enterprise. Based on the research of Professor Thomas Voit at the UCL GOSH Institute of Child Health, the agreement aims to utilise UCL's leading expertise in gene therapy.

"Early stage partnerships are critical to expedite innovation in gene therapy research and development. UCL is one of the world's leading research centers and is ideally suited to help us expand our pipeline of gene therapies for cardiomyopathies," said Dr. Valeria Ricotti, Chief Medical Officer at DiNAQOR.

"This partnership represents an exceptional opportunity to accelerate development of potentially life-saving gene therapies for patients suffering from heart failure. We are excited to collaborate with the DiNAQOR team to help find a cure for monogenic cardiomyopathies," said Dr. Perry Elliott, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at The UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (GOS ICH).

About Monogenic Cardiomyopathies 

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle that can lead to heart failure. Approximately 50% of all cardiomyopathies are caused by a single-gene or monogenic defect. There are 1.7 million people in the European Union and the United States currently affected by a monogenic cardiomyopathy, 300,000 of these individuals have a defect in the MYBPC3 gene. There is currently no cure for patients living with genetic cardiomyopathies.

About DiNAQOR

Founded in 2019, DiNAQOR AG is a global gene therapy platform company focused on advancing novel solutions for patients suffering from heart disease. The company's lead preclinical program, DiNA-001 is focused on the treatment of MYBPC3-linked cardiomyopathy. DiNAQOR is headquartered in Pfäffikon, Switzerland, with additional presence in London, England and Boston, Massachusetts (US). For more information visit www.dinaqor.com.  

About UCL – London's Global University

UCL is a diverse community with the freedom to challenge and think differently.

Our community of more than 41,500 students from 150 countries and over 12,500 staff pursues academic excellence, breaks boundaries and makes a positive impact on real world problems.

We are consistently ranked among the top 10 universities in the world and are one of only a handful of institutions rated as having the strongest academic reputation and the broadest research impact.

We have a progressive and integrated approach to our teaching and research – championing innovation, creativity and cross-disciplinary working. We teach our students how to think, not what to think, and see them as partners, collaborators and contributors.  

For almost 200 years, we are proud to have opened higher education to students from a wide range of backgrounds and to change the way we create and share knowledge.

We were the first in England to welcome women to university education and that courageous attitude and disruptive spirit is still alive today. We are UCL.

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About UCL Business Ltd (UCLB)

UCL Business Ltd (UCLB), part of UCL Innovation and Enterprise, is a leading technology commercialisation company that supports research and innovations arising from UCL, one of the UK's top research-led universities. UCLB has a successful track record and a strong reputation for identifying and protecting promising new technologies and innovations from UCL academics. UCLB has a strong track record in commercialising medical technologies and provides technology transfer services to UCL's associated hospitals; University College London Hospitals, Moorfields Eye Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and the Royal Free London Hospital. It invests directly in development projects to maximise the potential of the research and manages the commercialisation process of technologies from laboratory to market.

Contacts

DiNAQOR:
KWM Communications
Kellie Walsh
T: 1-914-315-6072
E: [email protected]

UCL:
UCL Media Relations
Dr. Rebecca Caygill
T: +44 (0)20 3108 3846 / +44 (0)7733 307 596
E: [email protected]  

SOURCE DiNAQOR

Related Links

http://www.dinaqor.com