CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Agilis Biotherapeutics, LLC (Agilis), a biotechnology company advancing innovative DNA therapeutics for rare genetic diseases that affect the central nervous system (CNS), announced today that the Company has entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement with the University of South Florida (USF) for the treatment of cognitive disorders using Reelin replacement technologies developed by Dr. Edwin Weeber, PhD, Director of the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory and Chief Scientific Officer at the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute at the University of South Florida. Reelin is an important extracellular signaling protein that has been shown in numerous studies to affect biochemical pathways involved with memory, learning and cognition. Dr. Weeber and colleagues have recently published evidence on the positive cognitive effects of Reelin protein replacement in a mouse model of Angelman Syndrome. The results support the hypothesis that the brain dysfunction and defects in learning and memory associated with Angelman Syndrome are potentially reversible. Furthermore, in addition to Angelman Syndrome, Reelin may be a critical factor in the treatment of other CNS disorders associated with cognitive declines such as Fragile X syndrome, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease (Hethorn et al, Eur. J. Neurosci., 2015). Under the license agreement with USF, Agilis will also sponsor research with Dr. Weeber to advance the clinical potential of Reelin in a range of CNS indications, including the rare disease Fragile X Syndrome.
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