Double Blow For Sangamo’s Zinc Finger Approach As Novartis And Biogen Deals Collapse

Validation Efforts Stalled Again

21 Mar 2023

• By Ayisha Sharma

The US biotech is facing yet another setback on its journey to proof-of-concept for its proprietary gene editing technology as two pharma firms back out of collaborations in the neurological space.

Hourglass filled with water against blue background, concept of time passing — Sangamo Has Been Working Towards Validation For More Than 20 Years • Source: Shutterstock

Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc.’s hopes of validating its zinc finger approach to gene editing have been dashed once again as Novartis AG and Biogen, Inc. ended their respective neurological partnerships with the firm following strategic reviews, rendering the future of the technology uncertain.

Both deals involved the US biotech’s proprietary zinc finger protein transcription factors (ZFP-TFs), which are delivered via adeno-associated viruses (AAVs)

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