OSEO: €10M to fund Cellectis and Genomic Vision anti-viral treatments

Collaboration

OSEO, the French public organisation that assists start-up, innovation, development and business transfer of small companies, has granted €10 million to two Pasteur Institute spin-outs for ACTIVE, a collaborative project aimed at exploiting the use of endonucleases to cure viral infections. The awards go to genome engineers Cellectis and molecular diagnostic company Genomic. OSEO’s contribution to the project, through its Industrial Strategic Innovation programme, will help the development of treatments for HIV and herpes.

The ACTIVE project will use Cellectis’s proprietary DNA cutters, known as megancleases to fight chronic or latent viral infections such as ocular herpes and HIV. Contrary to conventional anti-viral treatments and similarly to antibiotics, this collaboration aims to develop a treatment based on meganucleases to eliminate the viral genome and disinfect affected cells, directly targeting the cause of the disease.

Cellectis will develop and design the meganucleases and Genomic Vision will monitor the effects and efficacy of meganucleases in clinical trials. Under the terms of the agreement Cellectis will receive € 7.2 million and Genomic Vision € 1.1 million in the form of grants and loans, to be repaid in the event of commercial success.

David J.D. Sourdive, of Cellectis, said: “We mostly focus on two types of therapeutic applications: genetic diseases and viral infections caused by DNA viruses (e.g., hepatitis B, herpes and HIV). In the case of genetic disease, our meganucleases cut the mutated sequence for repair. In the case of viral infections, our meganucleases cut to destroy the viral genome and literally disinfect the cell. We are particularly happy to embark on this collaborative project supported by OSEO-ISI.”

Daniel Nerson, of Genomic Vision, said: "Diagnostic tests for upstream or follow-up treatment offer the possibility of more efficient personalised medicine and will increasingly play a role in the design of new treatments. We are proud to be part of this ambitious project of international importance.”

José Alain Sahel, of Genomic Vision, said: “Institut de la Vision [Genomic Vision] is pleased to see Cellectis’ innovative technologies being applied in ophthalmology for the first time, bringing a significant hope of curative treatment for a severe disease.”