DNA (Credit: Pixabay )
Prospective students Current students - UCL spinout Orchard Therapeutics, a biotechnology company dedicated to transforming the lives of patients with rare disorders through innovative gene therapies, has raised $225 million (£173 million) through its initial public offering. The funding success adds to an unprecedented summer that saw UCL spinout companies raise £265 million of investment which could transform patient outcomes. Founded in 2015 through a partnership between UCLB and F Prime Capital Partners, Orchard Therapeutics is based on research arising from the groups of Professor Bobby Gaspar and Professor Adrian Thrasher at the UCL GOS Institute of Child Health. UCLB is the part of UCL Innovation & Enterprise that specialises in commercialising technology. Orchard's development programmes focus on restoring normal gene function in primary immune deficiencies, metabolic diseases and haematological disorders. This pioneering technology uses a sample of the patient's own stem cells, which are modified with a functioning copy of the missing or faulty gene before being transplanted back into the patient's body. Using the patient's own (autologous) cells removes the need to search for a matching stem cell donor, which can take months or even years.
TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT
And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.
