Newswise — BERKELEY, Calif. and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Regel Therapeutics, a next generation gene therapy company utilizing proprietary technology to modulate gene expression, today announced that based upon the groundbreaking work of its Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Navneet Matharu, it has been selected to receive $1 Million in non-dilutive funding from the HS Chau Foundation through the Women in Enterprising Science Program (WIES) at the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) founded by CRISPR pioneer and Nobel laureate Dr. Jennifer Doudna.
The HS Chau WIES Program at the IGI is committed to addressing gender inequity in biotechnology and supporting entrepreneurs to develop innovative solutions for some of the world's greatest health problems. The IGI is working to advance revolutionary biotechnology that translates scientific breakthroughs into real-world solutions that are accessible and affordable. With the generous philanthropic support of Solina Chau Hoi Shuen of Horizons Ventures, the IGI launched the WIES program to support and guide entrepreneurs who align with its mission.
Dr. Matharu's earlier research work at UC San Francisco focused on building an understanding of difficult-to-treat genetic disorders caused by an epigenetic disruption altering normal gene expression. Dr. Matharu developed non-editing forms of CRISPR coupled with an activator to modulate gene expression. This scientific breakthrough forms the foundational technology for Regel Therapeutics.
"We are grateful to the HS Chau Foundation and the IGI for recognizing the potential of Regel's technology to deliver first-in-class therapeutics from the lab to the clinic. With this funding, we can further leverage our foundational technology and continue to build a broad product development platform to diversify and expand the therapeutic pipeline at Regel," says Dr. Matharu.
The IGI's WIES program is one of the initiatives led by Dr. Doudna, who won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier for developing the CRISPR gene editing system. Scientists selected for the program receive access to world-class resources to further their research using technologies such as CRISPR.
"It is wonderful to see the variety of ways CRISPR is being used in medical research today, including Dr. Matharu's work advancing non-editing forms of CRISPR technology for genetic therapies. I'm excited to see how she and Regel move forward in opening up promising new avenues for therapeutic development," says Dr. Doudna.
"This recognition is a testament to Dr. Matharu's breakthrough discovery and our determination at Regel to translate non-editing CRISPR based technology into therapeutic products," says Steve Ruchefsky, Co-Founder, President and CEO of Regel.
"In this era of unprecedented innovations that are transforming lives for the better, women face yet greater challenges as rapid developments outpace the ongoing efforts to level the playing field," says Solina Chau Hoi Shuen, whose foundation supports the WIES program. "With talented women-founded and led companies like Regel on the rise, I believe that investing in more women scientists today will bridge the divide and reap immeasurable benefits for humankind in the future."
About Regel Therapeutics.
Regel's T3 platform combines a deactivated CRISPR system, which targets the epigenome without editing or damaging the DNA, and proprietary regulatory elements restricting the intervention to specific cells. This approach allows for efficient and permanent restoration of normal gene expression exclusively to the cells affected by the disease. Regel's approach is supported by years of discovery and innovation and is now poised to become the first-in-class therapeutic intervention to transform the lives of patients suffering from severe and life-threatening genetic diseases. Regel has footprints in the incubator space at QB3-Bakar Labs in Berkeley, CA and at LabCentral in Cambridge, MA. (www.regeltherapeutics.com).
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