Tikun Therapeutics Inc. has obtained U.S. orphan drug and rare pediatric disease designations for its programs in familial dysautonomia, namely its rAAV2-U1a-hELP1 gene replacement therapy for the treatment of optic neuropathy in familial dysautonomia and BPN-36964 for systemic treatment of familial dysautonomia.

Ips Heart Inc. has been awarded orphan drug designation by the FDA for its GIVI-MPC stem cell therapy for Becker muscular dystrophy. GIVI-MPC has the unique ability to create new muscle with full length dystrophin in Becker muscular dystrophy.

Ractigen Therapeutics Co. Ltd.’s RAG-21, a novel siRNA therapy targeting the FUS gene, has been awarded orphan drug designation by the FDA for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Siren Biotechnology Inc. has unveiled its lead asset, SRN-101, for the treatment of high-grade gliomas. The FDA has granted orphan drug and rare pediatric disease designations to SRN-101 for high-grade gliomas and pediatric-type diffuse high-grade gliomas, respectively.

Belief Biomed Inc.’s gene therapy drug BBM-D101 has been awarded U.S. orphan drug and rare pediatric disease designations by the FDA for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

The FDA has granted orphan drug designation to Capsida Biotherapeutics Inc.’s CAP-002, an investigational gene therapy for the treatment of developmental and epileptic encephalopathy due to syntaxin-binding protein 1 (STXBP1) mutations.

The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA)’s Kickstart program has announced receipt of both U.S. orphan drug and rare pediatric disease designations in support of work for congenital myasthenic syndrome caused by choline acetyltransferase (CHAT) gene deficiency. The FDA awarded the orphan drug designation to AVCHAT-01X (AAV serotype 9 human choline acetyltransferase).