The drug, named CRD-TMH-001, treats muscle promoter and exon 1 mutations on the dystrophin gene.
With the IND approval process complete, the FDA has given the go-ahead, and dosing of the drug will occur imminently at UMass Chan Medical School.
The approval marks the culmination of a collaborative partnership, spanning a three-year period, with leading researchers, scientists and clinicians focused on developing break-through therapies for rare neuromuscular diseases, including the Lek Lab at Yale University, Charles River Laboratories and many other collaborators.
The therapeutic will upregulate an alternate form (isoform) of the dystrophin protein using CRISPR technology with the goal of stabilizing, or potentially reversing, symptom progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
The therapeutic has been developed for one-time administration. The patient will receive the drug intravenously and will be monitored in the hospital for several days to ensure that there are no uncontrolled adverse reactions.
Following release from the hospital, the patient will be followed for a period of 15 years, as per FDA guidelines, to track the patient's progress.
This is currently a single patient clinical. In order to protect patient confidentiality, CRD will be unable to comment on the trial once it begins.
As a 501c3 nonprofit biotechnology organization, the therapeutics developed by Cure Rare Disease and its collaborators are largely funded with support from its grassroots community of rare disease patients, families, and corporate partners. Together, this accomplishment exemplifies the power of community to effect positive change in the rare disease space.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a rare, genetic muscle-wasting disease caused by a mutation in the gene that codes for production of the protein dystrophin.
It impacts all muscle types, leading to loss of mobility and eventual respiratory and cardiac failure. The disease affects 1 in 3,500 male births and is extremely rare in females.
Cure Rare Disease, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit biotechnology company based in Boston, is transforming possibilities for people with rare diseases by developing advanced therapeutics in time to save lives.
Through a collaborative community of forward-thinking families, patients, scientists and supporters, Cure Rare Disease has enabled an ecosystem of innovation and discovery to overcome the obstacles inherent in existing models of medicine and to expedite life-saving genetic technologies from research to the clinic.
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