VectorY and Annogen Announce Research Collaboration for the Development of CNS-cell Specific Promoters
Annogen to develop multiple CNS-cell specific promoters for VectorY programs
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 19 January 2023 – VectorY Therapeutics, a biotech company developing innovative vectorized antibody therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and Annogen, the company behind the SuRE™ technology, today announced a research collaboration for the identification of CNS-cell specific synthetic promoters for use in VectorY’s vectorized antibody programs.
Using its proprietary Survey of Regulatory Elements (SuRE™) technology, Annogen functionally annotates the entire human non-coding genome to identify regulatory DNA elements that control therapeutic gene expression for gene & cell therapy. Hundreds of millions of DNA elements are screened for their ability to serve as promoters or enhancers, driving gene expression in a cell- or disease-specific manner. The SuRE™ technology is unique among other promoter-identification technologies in functionally testing non-coding promoter elements throughout the entire genome including at remote sites where activity is regulated.
“We are delighted to work together with Annogen on novel tailored cell-specific promoters to enhance VectorY’s transformative AAV-vectorized antibody platform and its potential to yield disease-modifying treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS,” Sander van Deventer CEO of VectorY said.
VectorY is a leader in the development of transformative vectorized antibody therapies for neurodegenerative diseases with high unmet medical need. With extensive internal knowhow, a unique proprietary platform has been assembled that combines state-of-the-art therapeutic antibodies, capsids, and manufacturing to enable efficient delivery of one-time precision treatments to the CNS. VectorY is advancing a pipeline of potentially disease-modifying treatments for devastating neurodegenerative diseases including ALS, Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s disease.
“VectorY is a leading example of novel advanced approaches to vectorized antibody therapy development,” Joris van Arensbergen CEO of Annogen adds. “Their focus on controlling various aspects of vector design, including cell-specific promoters, proves the value we can bring with our SuRE™ technology. We are very pleased to work with this forward-thinking team and further build our track record in this field.”
About VectorY
VectorY is on a mission to provide people with neurodegenerative diseases a longer, better life by creating transformative vectorized antibody treatments. Our platform combines the promise of precise therapeutic antibodies with one-time AAV-based delivery to the CNS. Unique in-house expertise on antibodies, AAV vectors, protein degradation, manufacturing and neuroscience drives the rapid development of much needed disease-modifying therapies for neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and Huntington’s disease. For more information, see www.vectorytx.com.
About Annogen
At Annogen we use our SuRE™ technology to identify regulatory DNA elements to be used for controlled (therapeutic) gene expression for gene & cell therapy, as well as for recombinant protein production. In addition, we offer the AIM™ service to identify favorable gene insertions and their expression levels for more than 100,000 integrations in parallel. These approaches enables Research and Development to qualitatively interpret the non-coding genome in humans, animals and plants. For more information, please visit www.annogen.bio.
Contacts
VectorY Therapeutics B.V.
Sariette Witte, Head of Communications
E-mail: sariette.witte@vectorytx.com
Tel: +31 681 174 072
Instinctif Partners (media enquiries)
Melanie Toyne-Sewell / Giulia Lasagni / Manisha Kuttetira
E-mail: VectorY@instinctif.com
Tel: +44 20 7457 2020
Annogen
P. Victor Schut, CBO
E-mail: victor@annogen.bio