Dr. Daniel Siegwart is Director of the Genetic and Pharmaceutical Engineering Program, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Biochemistry, and member of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern. [Photo: UT Southwestern]
UT Southwestern Medical Center announced a partnership with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to develop RNA-enhanced delivery technology for gene therapy through UTSW’s Genetic Drug Engineering Program.
“This collaboration leverages innovative chemical and engineering contributions from Pfizer and UT Southwestern to advance our fundamental understanding of genetic medicines and expand the use of gene therapy. [AI] “This will lead to the development of new delivery technologies to design methodologies and create potential therapeutics,” said Dr. said Dr. Daniel Siegwart, a professor at . UT He is a member of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at Southwestern University.
Dallas-based UTSW said the agreement will accelerate research and development of cell-targeted nucleic acid and gene editing therapies that Pfizer may apply to its portfolio of clinical trial programs.
Possibility of “groundbreaking advances in medical care”
“Collaboration and partnerships are key to further building on Pfizer’s successful portfolio of RNA-based medicines through the development of new technologies and strategies,” David Morrissey, Pfizer’s head of RNA accelerator, said in a statement. . “RNA-based platforms are enabling gene-driven medicines, and we look forward to collaborating with the UTSW team to explore new delivery systems and therapeutic applications. ’s RNA medicine portfolio, paving the way for breakthrough advances in healthcare.”
The medical center believes the partnership will leverage recent advances in understanding RNA-based biology and improved delivery systems for RNA-based therapies, along with Pfizer’s robust and extensive RNA knowledge, rapid manufacturing capabilities, and He said that it is linked to scientific innovation.
UT Southwestern said the collaboration has the potential to advance the concept of genetic medicines into new therapeutic areas.
Genome editing pioneer tackles lipid nanoparticles
For more than a decade, the Siegward Institute has been working on developing lipid nanoparticles for the delivery of mRNA, siRNA, genome editors, and other genetic medicines, according to UTSW.
Siegward was an early pioneer in developing delivery systems for genome editing, reporting the first-ever in vivo CRISPR/Cas editing using synthetic nanoparticles in December 2016.
More recently, Siegward’s team has solved major challenges in nucleic acid delivery, reporting the first predictable system for delivering mRNA and genome editors outside the liver, and developing new therapies targeting the lungs and spleen. provided the possibility of
Siegwald holds the W. Ray Wallace Distinguished Chair in Molecular Oncology Research.
Combining advanced research and clinical care
UT Southwestern, one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers, said it combines pioneering biomedical research with excellent clinical care and education.
The institution’s faculty have won six Nobel Prizes, including 26 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 21 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 13 Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators. include.
UTSW’s more than 3,100 full-time faculty are responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and are committed to rapidly translating science-driven research into new clinical treatments.
The medical center’s physicians provide care in more than 80 specialties to more than 120,000 inpatients, more than 360,000 emergency room cases, and oversee nearly 5 million outpatient visits annually.
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