Roche’s Genentech and Sangamo Therapeutics have entered into a global epigenetic regulation and capsid license agreement worth over $1.9bn to develop novel genomic medicines to treat certain neurodegenerative diseases.
Under the terms of the agreement, Sangamo will be responsible for completing a technology transfer and certain preclinical activities, while Genentech will be responsible for all clinical development, regulatory interactions, manufacturing and global commercialisation.
According to a study released by
The Lancet Neurology
, involving the World Health Organization, neurological conditions are now the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide, affecting more than three billion people globally in 2021.
Sangamo will receive $50m in near-term upfront license fees from Genentech, as well as milestone payments, and will be eligible to earn up to $1.9bn in development and commercial milestones across multiple potential products under the agreement, plus tiered royalties.
As part of the deal, Genentech will gain an exclusive license to Sangamo’s proprietary zinc finger repressors that are directed to the tau gene, associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other tauopathies, along with an undisclosed second neurology target.
In addition, the genomic medicine company has agreed to exclusively license to Genentech its proprietary, neurotropic adeno-associated virus capsid, STAC-BBB, for tau and the second neurology target, which has previously demonstrated potent blood-brain barrier penetration and brain transduction in nonhuman primates.
Boris Zaïtra, head of Roche Corporate Business Development, commented: “Through groundbreaking research and partnerships with companies such as Sangamo, we are committed to pursuing important breakthroughs in both early diagnosis and treatment… [in] areas of enormous unmet medical need and progress in treating diseases of the brain and nervous system.”
Sandy Macrae, chief executive officer of Sangamo, said: “We are excited to share this powerful combination with Genentech to advance potential treatment options for devastating neurodegenerative disorders, and we are hopeful this could be the first of multiple capsid collaborations to come with other partners.”
Earlier this year, Genentech and GenEdit
entered
into a multiyear collaboration and license agreement worth up to $644m to develop novel nanoparticles to deliver genetic medicines for autoimmune diseases, which affect around 10% of people globally.