Immusoft has acquired Discovery Genomics for an undisclosed price in a deal that expands the buyer’s technology holdings.
With the acquisition, Immusoft has added to its portfolio Discovery Genomics’ Sleeping Beauty Transposon™ System, designed to deliver genes into cells using DNA rather than a virus.
Immusoft said it plans to use the Sleeping Beauty Transposon System with its Immune System Programming (ISP™) technology platform. ISP is designed to reprogram patient B cells to treat diseases,including the rare genetic lysosomal storage disease mucopolysaccharidosis I (MPS I), which is expected to be the first clinical application.
Through the acquisition, Immusoft has a license to use Sleeping Beauty for MPS I and retains options to license the platform for hemophilia and inherited lysosomal storage disorders.
According to Immusoft, Sleeping Beauty is a nonviral vector that is much more scalable and much less expensive than other gene therapy technologies, including adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors and viral vectors used outside the body, such as lentiviral and retroviral vectors.
“Our two companies share a culture of innovation and a desire to change the way many diseases can be treated. It is my hope and expectation that combining our expertise and technology will help us in this pursuit,” Immusoft CEO and founder Matthew Scholz said in a statement.
Founded in 2000 and operational 2 years later, Discovery Genomics is based in Minneapolis. The company’s founders include Perry Hackett, Ph.D., whose lab invented the Sleeping Beauty Transposon System.
