- Friday, February 4, 2022 @ 12:00 am
Athebio AG, an innovation leader in the discovery and design of designed ankyrin repeat proteins (DARPins), today announced that it has entered a research agreement with REGENXBIO Inc. (Nasdaq: RGNX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company seeking to improve lives through the curative potential of gene therapy, to develop novel, targeted, adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors that combine Athebio's proprietary Athebody DARPin Platform and REGENXBIO’s NAV Technology Platform.
Under the terms of the agreement, Athebio will provide select Athebody DARPins from its proprietary library to REGENXBIO, which intends to utilize the DARPins as elements of novel AAV vectors targeted to an undisclosed, cell-specific receptor. REGENXBIO may option the selected Athebody DARPins for a commercial license for development of potential gene therapy candidates. In exchange, Athebio will receive an undisclosed upfront payment, research funding fees, and has the potential to receive milestones, as well as royalties on net sales.
“As a leader in the field of AAV-mediated gene therapy, REGENXBIO perfectly matches with Athebio's pioneering mindset,” said Patrik Forrer, one of the inventors of the DARPin technology and CEO and Chairman at Athebio. “Our mission is to make our proprietary Athebody DARPin Platform accessible to our partners, and provide them with tailor-made binding domains and access to our in-depth repeat protein expertise. The small size, excellent intracellular expression, and high specificity make Athebody DARPins excellent candidates to enable novel, targeted AAV vectors.”
