News

A family whose child has a rare neurological disease, SPG4, visited UMass Chan Medical School’s scientists to learn about development of a gene therapy for the disease. The family is raising funds to support the research in the Translational Institute for Molecular Therapeutics. 

UMass Chan Medical School has received $2.2 million from a nonprofit patient-advocacy organization to contract with Andelyn Biosciences to manufacture clinical grade AAV9-CSA vector to treat Cockayne syndrome.  

Researchers working with UMass Chan Medical School’s Translational Institute for Molecular Therapeutics announced progress in developing a vector to deliver gene replacement therapy in mice models with Cockayne syndrome, a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease that largely affects children and young adults.

Top story: The Translational Institute for Molecular Therapeutics leverages UMass Chan Medical School’s extensive experience in researching and developing gene therapies for early-stage clinical trials. Miguel Sena-Esteves, PhD, is director of the new institute.

In a piece written for The Conversation, Miguel Sena-Esteves, PhD, talks about research leading to the first ever gene therapy for Tay-Sachs disease and the launch of the Translational Institute for Molecular Therapeutics at UMass Chan.

An Oregon couple whose baby was diagnosed with an ultra-rare genetic disorder has launched a foundation to raise money to accelerate development of therapies for the condition and recently signed a gift agreement with UMass Chan Medical School to jump start the research.

The Translational Institute for Molecular Therapeutics leverages UMass Chan Medical School’s extensive experience in researching and developing gene therapies for early-stage clinical trials. Miguel Sena-Esteves, PhD, is director of the new institute.

Sio Gene Therapies, a clinical-stage company focused on developing gene therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, presented positive interim data from its Phase I/II study of AXO-AAV-GM1, an adeno-associated viral vector-based gene therapy candidate for GM1 gangliosidosis that was licensed from UMass Chan.

Riaan Research Initiative, a non-profit organization, and UMass Chan Medical School are entering into an agreement to fund, research and develop a gene replacement therapy to combat Cockayne syndrome, a fatal autosomal recessive disorder.

Thomas Feldborg and Daria Rokina, of Denmark, chose to enroll their baby daughter, Alissa, in an investigational gene therapy for the treatment of GM2 gangliosidosis, which causes Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff diseases, to “let hope conquer the fears,” according to a report in USA Today chronicling their journey.

Oguz Cataltepe, MD, describes the innovative neurosurgical procedure used to treat patients in the new clinical trial for a gene therapy targeting infantile Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff diseases.

Sio Gene Therapies announced that the first patient with infantile Tay-Sachs disease has been dosed in a Phase I/II trial evaluating AXO-AAV-GM2, an investigational gene therapy for the treatment of GM2 gangliosidosis, which causes Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff diseases. Miguel Sena-Esteves, PhD, is a principal scientist of the research program at UMMS.

Axovant Gene Therapies, a clinical-stage company developing innovative gene therapies based on UMass Medical School research discoveries, has announced that the FDA has lifted its clinical hold and cleared Axovant’s Investigational New Drug application to initiate a registrational study of gene therapy to treat patients with Tay-Sachs disease and Sandhoff disease.