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Prevail Therapeutics and Lonza Enter Strategic Collaboration
Oct. 08, 2019 08:58AM PST
Biotech Investing
Through the collaboration, the companies will focus on Prevail’s gene therapy programs for patients with neurodegenerative diseases.
Prevail Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PRVL)P and Lonza (SWX:LONN) have announced a strategic collaboration to develop Prevail’s gene therapy program for neurodegenerative diseases.
As quoted in the press release:
Lonza and Prevail have been working together since 2018, with an initial focus on process development, towards the GMP manufacturing of Prevail’s two lead programs, PR001 and PR006. Under this collaboration, focused on the baculovirus/Sf9 production system for gene therapies, Lonza will manufacture Prevail’s pipeline of novel AAV-based gene therapy programs for patients with neurodegenerative diseases at its gene therapy center of excellence in Houston, TX.
“Prevail is a brilliant trailblazer and it is a privilege to partner with them,” said Alberto Santagostino, SVP Head of Cell & Gene Technologies, Lonza Pharma & Biotech. “This strategic collaboration reflects both companies’ commitment to fueling the innovation of novel medicines. The partnership combines Prevail’s frontier science with Lonza’s operational expertise to support the development and commercialization of potentially life-changing treatments. Our cell and gene therapy center of excellence in Houston, TX, will support Prevail in their journey as they develop and potentially bring to market AAV-based gene therapies for patients suffering from debilitating neurodegenerative diseases.”
Prevail’s pipeline includes PR001, an AAV9-based gene therapy delivering GBA1, in development for Parkinson’s disease patients with GBA1 mutations (PD-GBA) and neuronopathic Gaucher disease patients (nGD). Prevail plans to initiate a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of PR001 in PD-GBA in 2019. The company is also developing PR006, an AAV9-based gene therapy delivering GRN, for frontotemporal dementia patients with a GRN mutation (FTD-GRN). Prevail anticipates PR006 will enter the clinic in 2020. The collaboration also has the potential to extend to Prevail’s future pipeline of AAV-based gene therapy programs.