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ARTICLE | Company News

Annapurna gains Weill-Cornell gene therapy assets

January 6, 2016 2:08 AM UTC

Annapurna Therapeutics (Paris, France) received an exclusive license from Weill Cornell Medical College to three preclinical-stage gene therapy programs for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), hereditary angioedema (HAE) and severe allergies. The company, formerly named AAVLife S.A.S., will continue to develop its original asset, an adeno-associated viral vector-based gene therapy in preclinical development to treat Friedreich's ataxia-associated cardiomyopathy.

"We like going after diseases with simple biology," said Thomas Woiwode of Versant Ventures, which led the biotech's $12 million series A round in 2014. "Three of the four diseases we're pursuing are monogenic diseases with a missing or dysfunctional gene." ...