GlaxoSmithKline has signed an agreement with Italy-based biotechnology company Molmed to develop a production process for a gene therapy that could treat adenosine deaminase deficiency.
The therapy, developed by San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy and in-licensed by GlaxoSmithKline, is in late-stage clinical trials.
Adenosine deaminase deficiency is an immune deficiency disease caused by the alteration of a single gene.
It was therefore possible, according to Molmed, to develop a therapy to treat the disease by inserting the patien’s old stem cells.
Molmed chairman and CEO Claudio Bordignon said, “Molmed has expertise and know-how in the field of gene and cell therapy and this agreement with GlaxoSmithKline is an important step on the way to provide gene therapy for patients with rare diseases.”
