AbbVie turned to Capsida Biotherapeutics two years ago for help delivering gene therapies into the brain. That partnership is ongoing, but the pharmaceutical giant now wants to leverage its partner’s technology for delivery of gene therapies into the eye.
The expanded agreement announced Thursday spans three programs. The targets were not specified, other than to describe them as “eye diseases with high unmet need.” The North Chicago-based pharmaceutical giant is paying Capsida $70 million, representing upfront payments and a potential equity investment. The startup could receive up to $595 million in option fees and R&D milestone payments. If the pact yields any gene therapies that reach the market, Capsida would receive royalties from sales.
Thousand Oaks, California-based Capsida enables delivery of genetic medicines to a broader range of tissue types in the body. Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) are the delivery vehicles for most gene therapies. These viruses preferentially target the liver.
Capsida’s technology engineers capsids, the protein shells of AAV that envelop a gene therapy’s genetic cargo and target it to tissue in the body. Using machine-learning techniques, the company screens the engineered capsids to identify those with desired properties, such as the ability to go to a particular tissue type.
When Capsida launched in 2021, it already in hand a $50 million Series A financing and a partnership with AbbVie focused on gene therapies for central nervous system disorders. Under this original CNS deal, AbbVie paid Capsida $80 million up front and made an $10 million equity investment in the startup.
Similar to the CNS alliance, Capsida will lead capsid discovery efforts for potential eye disease gene therapies. It will also be responsible for process development and early clinical manufacturing. AbbVie will take the lead on therapeutic cargo, and will lead clinical development and commercialization.
“Combining AbbVie’s expertise in eye disease drug development and commercialization with Capsida’s fully integrated next-generation AAV engineering platform and manufacturing capabilities offers the potential to provide novel therapies enabling unprecedented benefit to patients with serious eye diseases,” Capsida CEO Peter Anastasiou said in a prepared statement.
Capsida’s approach to Capsid discovery has caught the eye of other big pharma companies. Last month, Eli Lilly paid $55 million up front to begin a partnership focused on CNS diseases. Specific diseases were not disclosed. There are other startups trying to build better Capsids in partnership with big pharma companies. Dyno Therapeutics has alliances with Novartis, Sarepta Therapeutics, and Roche. Meanwhile, Affinia Therapeutics is working with Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
Photo: Karen Bleier/AFP, via Getty Images
