Sartorius recognizes MyoGene Bio with $25,000 award at QB3 Pitch Summit
At the recent QB3 Pitch Summit, Sartorius awarded MyoGene Bio with a $25,000 voucher that can be used to purchase any Sartorius products and services for the development of its investigational gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The event was held to recognize promising new life science companies.
This article is posted on our Science Snippets Blog.
Myogene’s therapy leverages CRISPR/Cas9 technology to restore the dystrophin protein, which is found in about half of patients with DMD. An adeno-associated virus (AAV) would then be used to deliver the functional gene into the recipient’s muscle. In early animal models and human stem cell studies, the therapy has demonstrated the ability to modifying the target DNA sequence within the cells. Long term, the platform could be expanded to support other viral vector therapeutics for different indications.
“It is exciting to see an AAV platform used for gene editing that has such a broad coverage for a specific indication,” said Luke Heaven, head of application services at Sartorius North America. “At an estimated 50 percent patient applicability, Myogene’s permanent gene editing process could be used to treat more than three times the number of patients than any other treatment currently used. The inherent scalability of a solid viral vector platform also holds promise not only for high patient applicability but also high patient reach.”
The QB3 Pitch Summit is an annual event where startup life science companies can apply to receive funding from stakeholders in the industry. This year, a community-based panel evaluated 140 applicants. Mentors from Sartorius reviewed the presentations of each company over a two-day qualification period. Selection criteria included the nature of the company’s technology, their market potential, and how much the startup would benefit from the award. Ten companies were eventually awarded with funding.
"We pride ourselves on recognizing inspired, talented startups like MyoGene who are using advanced biology to solve the world's most important problems,” said Christine Winoto, deputy director of QB3.
QB3 facilitates partnerships that benefit all sides. In this case, MyoGene is innovating a potentially groundbreaking new therapy and Sartorius has resources that can help them advance and scale their ability to treat eventual patients will.
MyoGene has expressed gratitude for the award, noting that it has already increased its knowledge on the available bioprocessing equipment and services. The opportunity arose at a critical time in the company’s development, helping them obtain the necessary equipment and resources to produce modern gene therapies.
The QB3 Pitch Summit is one of several industry innovation initiatives that Sartorius supports through its Biotech Incubators Partnership Program. Other examples include a partnership with Biolabs, which is a group of eight biotech incubators located in many of North America’s biotech clusters; and another with MBC Biolabs, a biotech incubator with three sites in the Bay Area.
Learn more here about the other ways Sartorius is driving innovation.