Allen Institute, BioMarin To Develop Gene Therapies For Rare Brain Diseases

(RTTNews) - The Allen Institute and BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (BMRN) announced a collaboration today that will use technologies developed at the Allen Institute to create new gene therapies aimed at rare genetic diseases of the central nervous system. They did not disclose financial terms.

BioMarin will receive an exclusive license to each program for research, development and commercialization.

The Allen Institute for Brain Science, a division of the Allen Institute, has developed modified adeno-associated viruses, or AAVs, that have been engineered to impact specific classes of cells in the brain.

The company noted that scientists from BioMarin and the Allen Institute will collaborate to establish whether these novel AAVs can enable the creation of a new class of gene therapies displaying a higher level of precision to treat diseases of the central nervous system.