NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CureDuchenne, a global leader in research, patient care, and innovation in improving and extending the lives of those living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), announced today it has invested in Berkeley, California-based Chameleon Biosciences, Inc. The investment supports the development of a next generation Adeno Associated Virus (AAV) based gene therapy platform called EVADER technology.
Several gene therapies already on the market have shown stunning success in curing disease. Others, like Duchenne, that are in clinical trials are showing great promise. However, current treatment approaches suffer from the fundamental problem that viruses deliver the replacement gene but, as with virus-based vaccines, there is an immune response that prevents repeat dosing.
Chameleon’s EVADER platform technology is potentially: more resistant to pre-existing immunity than current AAV gene therapies; less immunogenic to enable repeat dosing; and more efficient at gene delivery than other AAV based gene therapies, thus allowing lower dosing. If successful, EVADER technology will treat a greater number of patients, and provide for widely expanding potential disease applications and patient populations that can be addressed, making gene therapy more available for treating increasing numbers of devastating diseases.
"We are experiencing an exciting time in healthcare and will soon see major advancements in medical care for many genetic disease patients,” said Debra Miller, CEO and founder, CureDuchenne. “Chameleon’s data is highly encouraging. By supporting smart and creative initiatives like this we are ensuring that Duchenne and other rare disease patients benefit from the transformative medical innovations that lie ahead.”
“The support of CureDuchenne is greatly appreciated and extremely inspiring,” said Genine Winslow, CEO and founder of Chameleon Biosciences. “From the start, Chameleon’s vision has been to transform the lives of as many patients suffering from rare genetic diseases as possible. CureDuchenne is an incredible organization, their expertise in musculo-skeletal diseases and gene therapy will prove invaluable to us. Their investment provides funding to further develop our EVADER platform so that we can treat musculo-skeletal diseases like Duchenne.”
Jeffery S. Vick, chief business officer and co-founder of Chameleon Biosciences, added, “I entered the gene therapy field because I had a very close friend with Duchenne. I saw first-hand how devastating this disease is and I wanted to do something to improve the quality of life of patients living with rare muscular diseases. Our hope is that through the ground-breaking work of Chameleon and other companies in the gene therapy field, patients can live normal lives unhampered by their disease.”
About CureDuchenne
CureDuchenne is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for Duchenne, the most common and lethal form of muscular dystrophy. As the leading genetic killer of young boys, Duchenne affects more than 300,000 boys living today. CureDuchenne has garnered international attention for its efforts to raise funds and awareness for Duchenne through venture philanthropy. For more information on how to help raise awareness and funds needed for research, please visit www.cureduchenne.org.
For more details about CureDuchenne’s philanthropic investments, go to: https://www.cureduchenne.org/ventures/
About Chameleon Biosciences
Chameleon Biosciences is a pre-clinical stage gene therapy company, developing a proprietary first in class vector platform technology for reducing the immune response associated with gene therapy treatments. Chameleon's novel vectors deliver therapeutic proteins to specific tissues while reducing antigen specific immune responses to both the vector and the therapeutic protein. Chameleon’s goal is to transform gene therapy and allow repeat dosing for treatment of devastating diseases. More information about Chameleon can be found on the company’s website at www.chameleonbiosci.com.
