Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur announced on Friday that it has licensed a pioneering gene therapy technology to Reliance Life Sciences, which, according to the institute, has the potential to revolutionise the field of gene therapy, especially for many genetic eye diseases.
IIT Kanpur said in a statement that this is the first time that a gene therapy-related technology has been developed and transferred from an academic institution to a company in India.
The patented technology, developed by Prof. Jayandharan Giridhara Rao and Shubham Maurya from the Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering (BSBE), IIT Kanpur, reportedly modifies the gene of an organism to treat a hereditary disorder. In this case, the technology modifies a specific location on an Adeno-associated virus (AAV) used for gene therapy to optimise its ability to deliver genes to the affected cells and improve its effectiveness.
"IIT Kanpur is committed to developing impactful technologies in the field of healthcare, and we are delighted to see the licensing of this gene therapy technology to Reliance Life Sciences," said Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director of IIT Kanpur.
“Gene therapy using viral vectors has recently emerged as a potent tool in the field of molecular medicine. We believe that this technology holds great promise for treating a wide range of hereditary eye diseases including Leber congenital amaurosis, an eye disorder that is present from birth; and Retinitis pigmentosa, a disease-causing progressive sustained vision loss. At IIT Kanpur, we foresee several such impactful technologies being developed in the near future for many such genetic disorders and are excited to see the impact that it will have in the coming years.”
Reliance Life Sciences is also developing several gene therapies to address unmet clinical needs. In addition to gene therapies, Reliance Life Sciences is developing a range of human and animal health vaccines and mRNA products. Gene and cell therapies represent a new and innovative stream of products, aimed to reinforce Reliance Life Sciences' strong play in biosimilars and pharmaceutical products.
"We are pleased to have the opportunity to work with IIT Kanpur to further develop this important technology. Reliance Life Sciences is a research-driven, medical biotechnology company and we are thrilled to collaborate and take forward this innovative technology to commercialization," said K. V. Subramaniam, President of Reliance Life Sciences.
Gene therapy is one of the most potent applications of recombinant DNA technology, where pieces of DNA from multiple sources are combined to efficiently deliver the healthy copy of the faulty gene. The therapeutic DNA molecule is delivered using a virus that can infect human cells. For successful clinical application, several optimisations of the basic process are needed to be aimed at ensuring the adequate expression of the desired gene.
“The licensing of a gene therapy technology by IIT Kanpur to Reliance Life Sciences represents a significant step forward in the field of gene therapy and demonstrates the commitment of IIT Kanpur to developing innovative solutions to address unmet medical needs,” the institute said.
(Edited by : Pradeep John)
