Vigene Biosciences Partners with The Michael J. Fox Foundation to Distribute Alpha-synuclein Knockdown Viral Vectors for Parkinson’s Disease Research

ROCKVILLE, Maryland – Vigene Biosciences, Inc. (Vigene), a leading biotechnology company for viral vector production and development, today announced a collaboration with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) for AAV repository and domestic production. Viral vectors to knockdown mouse or human alpha-synuclein (aSyn) will be made available for purchase in early 2018.

“We are pleased to have taken this step to make critical Parkinson’s disease research tools more accessible to the wider research community,” stated Dr. Zairen Sun, Vigene’s CEO, “We believe that a key way to accelerate therapeutic development for Parkinson’s patients is to provide validated viral vectors, that will enable researchers to obtain quality data, so that they focus on understanding the mechanisms underlying Parkinson’s disease (PD).”

“The Michael J. Fox Foundation drives tool development toward the greatest needs of the field to accelerate therapeutic development in Parkinson’s,” said Nicole Polinski, PhD, associate director of research programs at MJFF. “Our partnership with Vigene enables the distribution of key viral vectors targeting alpha-synuclein — a sticky protein that clumps in the brains of people with PD — to help deepen understanding of the mechanisms of Parkinson’s and speed urgently needed breakthroughs.”

Contact Information:

Jeffrey Hung, Ph.D.
Chief Commercial Officer
Vigene Biosciences
301-251-6638
jhung@vigenebio.com