Généthon, a nonprofit laboratory created by the AFM-Téléthon, has reported its exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement with Askbio Inc., a subsidiary of Bayer AG, for the use of a patented component of AB-1009, under development by Askbio, for the treatment of Pompe disease.

Genprex Inc. has released preliminary in vivo proof-of-concept data for GPX-002, the company’s diabetes gene therapy drug candidate, in a nonhuman primate (NHP) model of type 2 diabetes and in a mouse model of type 2 diabetes. GPX-002 is being developed for the potential long-term control of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

In a recent publication in Molecular Therapy, researchers from Drexel University College of Medicine and UMass Chan Medical School presented a silence-and-replace gene therapy strategy aiming to address both the gain-of-toxicity and loss-of-function components of the disease hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP).

SYNGAP1-related disorders (SRDs) are rare neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by a wide range of symptoms, including intellectual disability, epilepsy, motor deficits and increased risk-taking behavior.

Gene editing technologies are moving forward in preclinical development with innovative strategies designed to treat diseases at their root and even reverse them. However, many approaches still struggle to reach target cells or tissues – either they fail to arrive, or their efficacy is low. In vivo therapies face numerous challenges, but despite these hurdles, 2025 has marked a year of remarkable progress.

Viatris Inc. has announced FDA clearance of its IND application for MR-146, an Enriched Tear Film (ETF) AAV gene therapy candidate for the treatment of neurotrophic keratopathy. The company plans to initiate a phase I/II trial in patients with neurotrophic keratopathy in the first half of next year.

Superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) mutations were among the first genetic causes identified in familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and confer a toxic gain-of-function that drives motor neuron degeneration via protein misfolding, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and neuroinflammation.

Gene editing can repair mutations that prematurely halt protein synthesis, resulting in incomplete peptides that cause various diseases. However, other approaches achieve the same effect without altering the genome. Startup Alltrna Inc. has developed a strategy based on transfer RNA (tRNA) to bypass the premature stop codons that end early protein translation. The company already has a first clinical candidate that could treat metabolic diseases such as methylmalonemia (MMA) or phenylketonuria (PKU).