Regeneron is dipping its toe deeper into the gene therapy waters, teaming up with ViGeneron to work on a retinal disease prospect based on engineered recombinant adeno-associated virus vectors (vgAAVs).
While best known for its antibody work, Regeneron has a history of exploring other modalities through dealmaking, inking a $640 million gene therapy pact with Avalanche Biotechnologies back in 2014 and, more recently, partnering with Decibel Therapeutics on a hearing loss candidate. The Avalanche deal failed to give Regeneron the hoped-for successor to Eylea but it clearly remains open to the modality.
That openness has manifested in a deal with ViGeneron, a German biotech with a platform designed to overcome the limitations of AAV-based gene therapies. ViGeneron and Regeneron will work to develop vgAAV candidates against an undisclosed inherited retinal disease target.