Philadelphia is home to the first FDA-approved cell and gene therapies

Penn Medicine is an international leader in cell and gene therapy research and development. Thanks to longstanding faculty researchers, including Carl June, Jim Wilson, Jean Bennett and Bruce Levine, and a new group of emerging faculty innovators, Penn has helped propel Philadelphia into Cellicon Valley:

• The launch of at least 10 startups that in and of themselves have raised over $650 million in investment capital.  Notable names on this list include:  Spark Therapeutics (Bennett & Maguire), Tmunity Therapeutics (June), Carisma Therapeutics (Gill), Cabaletta Bio (Payne and Milone), ReGenX Bio, Scout Bio & Passage Bio (Wilson)
• The launch of 15 major Industry Alliances in the cell and gene therapy space that have generated almost $500 million in sponsored research dollar support back to Penn to date
• Ranked 1st among global universities for CAR-T cell patents according to Nature: 428 patents for 54 separate T-cell inventions

Significant recent deals include:

Amicus: This is a sizable multi-year R&D collaboration with the Gene Therapy Program. The company just announced the opening of a major new R&D facility a few blocks from Penn as a result of this new partnership.  Total Award: >$50 million

Biogen: This is a sizable multi-year collaborative alliance between Biogen and Penn Medicine faculty (Wilson and Bennett) focused on gene therapy and gene editing. Total Award: ~$100 million

Janssen: Another sizable multi-year collaborative alliance with GTP/Wilson. The partnership brings together J&J’s anti-Alzheimer’s antibodies and the university’s adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) in a bid to open up a new frontier in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.  Total Award: >$50 million

Growth of Cellicon Valley in the Region

As of November 2018 there were:

• More than 30 cell and gene therapy development companies in the Philadelphia area
• These companies have raised over $1 billion in invested capital
• This group of companies has also created more than 3,000 jobs, and that figure is steadily growing.  This is in addition to jobs existing or growing at academic and medical centers funded via government research grants or industry partnerships

In the News

Penn Medicine’s new Venture Fund

Second (Science) City No More

Spark

• Roche Bets $4.8B on Spark Therapeutics and the Future of Gene Therapy (xconomy)
• Roche agrees to buy Philadelphia biotech Spark Therapeutics for $4.3 billion, enriching CHOP, founders (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Here are five immediate takeaways from Roche’s $5 billion acquisition of Spark Therapeutics

Amicus

• Amicus Therapeutics to open biotech labs in new 3675 Market St. building in West Philly (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• N.J. biotech firm expanding to Philadelphia, creating 200 new jobs (Philadelphia Business Journal)
• Amicus Therapeutics to Hire 200 Researchers at New Gene Therapy Center in Philadelphia (BioSpace)

Passage Bio

• Passage Bio to tackle CNS diseases with $115M and UPenn gene therapy programs (FierceBioTech)
• Passage Bio Gets $116M As Wilson, Yamada Team Up On Gene Therapy Again (xconomy)

The branding concept,  ‘Cellicon Valley,’ was created by Bruce Levine to describe and further promote this fast growing sector.