Freeline, Forcefield sign exclusive patent, know-how license agreement

Forcefield Therapeutics and Freeline Therapeutics have entered into an exclusive patent and know-how license agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Freeline gains rights to develop and commercialise AAV gene therapies for certain cardiac conditions using key targets identified by Forcefield Forcefield will receive an upfront payment of GBP 500,000 and is entitled to certain development and regulatory milestone payments and a mid-single-digit percentage royalty on net sales of any potential products. The agreement centres around the use of gene products identified by FunSel, a genetic ‘search engine’. These gene products have been shown in preclinical AAV gene therapy models to minimise damage and preserve heart function after myocardial infarction. Positive preclinical data published last year in Science Translational Medicine demonstrated the gene products preserved cardiomyocyte viability, sustained cardiac function and prevented pathological remodelling.