Biogen in academic gene therapy collaboration worth up to $2 billion

US biotech major Biogen (Nasdaq: BIIB) has announced a collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) to advance gene therapy and gene editing technologies.

The expansive research and translational development collaboration has multiple objectives, but will primarily focus on the development of therapeutic approaches that target the eye, skeletal muscle and the central nervous system (CNS).

There is also a focus on validating next-generation gene transfer technology using adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene delivery vectors, and on the expanded use of genome editing technology – the insertion, deletion or replacement of DNA in the genome of an organism – as potential therapeutic platform.