Genea Biocells, a San Diego-based biotech company focused on drug development to treat neuromuscular diseases, today announced that it has been granted Orphan Drug Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its therapeutic candidate, GBC0905, for the treatment of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD).
Scientists from Genea Biocells will be attending the FSH Society’s International Research Conference and FSHD Connect meeting, where we hope to hear about some of their preliminary findings.
Genea Biocells’ lead scientist for the FSHD program, Amanda Rickard, said, “Our targeted therapeutic candidate GBC0905 potently suppresses DUX4 function, prevents the activation of DUX4 target genes, and protects affected skeletal muscle cells in a dose-dependent fashion and, importantly, without affecting normal myogenesis. Aberrant DUX4 expression is the underlying cause of the disease and results in muscle fiber death. The FSHD field generally believes that blocking DUX4 will be curative. We are looking forward to thorough and expeditious development of this much-needed therapy.”
This is great news for the FSHD community, as the FDA’s designation confers a number of advantages to companies’ drug development efforts, including tax credits for qualified clinical trials costs and seven years of market exclusivity upon FDA approval of the drug.
Genea is one of several biotechs, including Fulcrum Therapeutics, Facio, and Ultragenyx, that are pursuing small molecule drugs aimed at suppressing DUX4 to treat FSHD.
Read the full press release: Genea Biocells Announces FDA Orphan Drug Designation for GBC0905 for the Treatment of Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD)
Yay!! Congrats to Genea Biocells! And a big THANK YOU! Your efforts are so appreciated and you just can’t believe the “hope” you have given so many people.
Again, Thank you!
Allen
Last night I drove by the hospital where I was diagnosed with FSHD and commented to my wife “That is where I discovered I am irreparably broken.”. Tonight I have hope I might be able to be fixed. I pray it will be before the few years I have left.
Has Genea Biocells shut down? Website doesn’t work and google maps says permanently closed.
Unfortunately, Genea Biocells closed early this year.
Do you know why they have closed?
It had nothing to do with their drug, but with changes in company ownership and the new owners not prioritizing the survival of the company.