MB-111 is a potential first-in-class in vivo ultracompact CRISPR therapy for Familial Chylomicronemia Syndrome and Severe Hypertriglyceridemia
Dr. Brown brings deep expertise in nucleic acid drug development as Mammoth advances its lead program, MB-111, to IND-enabling stage and continues to build a leading company in genetic medicines
BRISBANE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--#CRISPR--Mammoth Biosciences, Inc., a biotechnology company harnessing its proprietary next-generation CRISPR gene editing platform to create potential one-time curative therapies, today announced the nomination of its first clinical development candidate, MB-111, and the appointment of biotechnology industry veteran, Bob D. Brown, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors.
MB-111 utilizes CasPhi — an ultracompact CRISPR in vivo gene editing system that is less than half the size of first-generation, Cas9-based systems — encapsulated in a lipid nanoparticle for delivery to the liver after IV administration. MB-111 has the potential to be a first-in-class, one-time treatment for patients with very high triglycerides including familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS) and severe hypertriglyceridemia (SHTG).
MB-111 is designed to permanently disrupt the expression of the APOC3 gene in the liver, and thus to reduce expression of ApoC-III protein. ApoC-III is a critical driver of lipid metabolism and disrupting its production has been shown to reduce plasma triglycerides in patients with pathologically elevated levels, including those with FCS and SHTG. These patients suffer from recurrent episodes of acute pancreatitis, leading to frequent hospitalizations, as well as an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Mammoth Biosciences is on track to initiate IND-enabling studies this year.
“The nomination of our lead program as a development candidate is a major milestone for Mammoth and the gene editing field, as well as the first proof point of the therapeutic potential of our novel ultracompact CRISPR systems and gene editing technologies,” said Trevor Martin, Ph.D., co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mammoth Biosciences. “The preclinical data on MB-111 is compelling, and we’re excited about its potential to be a first-in-class genetic cure for debilitating diseases such as FCS and SHTG. We believe Dr. Brown’s extensive drug discovery and development experience, and track record of building leading companies in siRNA and antisense oligonucleotide therapeutics across rare and chronic diseases will be invaluable to our goal of increasing the number of patients who can derive benefit from Mammoth Biosciences’ genetic medicines.”
Dr. Bob D. Brown brings over 30 years of experience in multidisciplinary biotechnology research and drug development, including in the US and ex-US jurisdictions. Most recently, Dr. Brown served as Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President of R&D at Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, an RNAi-focused therapeutics company that was acquired by Novo Nordisk. At Novo, he served as President and Head of the Dicerna Transformation Research Unit and SVP. During his time at Dicerna, he led the discovery and early clinical development of numerous genetic medicines, including nedosiran for the treatment of primary hyperoxaluria, RG6346 for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, belcesiran for the treatment of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, and several other drug candidates now in the clinical development pipelines of large pharmaceutical companies.
Prior to Dicerna, Dr. Brown held various positions at Genta, a clinical-stage antisense oligonucleotide therapeutics company, most recently as its Vice President of Research and Technology. Previously, he was a co-founder and Vice President of R&D of Oasis Biosciences, which was acquired by Gen-Probe. Dr. Brown is an inventor or co-inventor of more than 85 issued US patents, and earned a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of California, Berkeley and B.S. degrees in chemistry and biology from the University of Washington, Seattle.
“I’m honored to join Mammoth Biosciences at such a pivotal moment, as CRISPR technology stands ready to transform healthcare and redefine the future of medicine,” said Dr. Brown. “I look forward to working with the exceptional Mammoth Biosciences team to harness the power of their groundbreaking platform to tackle some of the most pressing medical challenges and improve patients’ lives. Drawing on my experiences in drug discovery and clinical development, I aim to help advance Mammoth Biosciences’ ultracompact CRISPR gene editing therapies—starting with MB-111—toward clinical application.”
About Mammoth Biosciences
Mammoth Biosciences is a biotechnology company focused on leveraging its proprietary ultracompact CRISPR systems to develop potential long-term curative therapies for patients with life-threatening and debilitating diseases. Founded by CRISPR pioneer and Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna and Trevor Martin, Janice Chen, and Lucas Harrington, the company’s ultracompact systems are designed to be more specific and enable in vivo gene editing in difficult to reach tissues utilizing both nuclease applications and new editing modalities beyond double stranded breaks, including base editing, reverse transcriptase editing, and epigenetic editing. The company is building out its wholly owned pipeline of potential in vivo gene editing therapeutics and capabilities and has partnerships with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to broaden the reach of its innovative and proprietary technology platform. Mammoth Biosciences’ deep science and industry experience, along with a robust and differentiated intellectual property portfolio, have enabled the company to further its mission to transform the lives of patients and deliver on the promise of CRISPR technologies.
Contacts
Media Contact:
Mohana Ray
Email: Mammoth.PR@hdmz.com
Phone: 312-506-5210
