Tune Therapeutics Reveals Epigenetic Editing Program Targeting Hepatitis B Virus

Tune Therapeutics Reveals Epigenetic Editing Program Targeting Hepatitis B Virus

DURHAM, N.C. & SEATTLE-- November 13, 2023--Pioneering epigenome editing company Tune Therapeutics has announced it is working on a new and potentially curative approach to treating chronic HBV infection. The program was unveiled by Dr. Ed Gane, Professor of Medicine at the University of Auckland and world-renowned authority on Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) conference in Boston, MA on November 11th. The program, described by Gane at a session on emerging HBV treatments, aims to utilize TEMPO –Tune’s proprietary ‘genetic tuning’ platform – to achieve functional cure through the permanent, epigenetic repression of viral activity.

Tune Therapeutics Unveils Breakthrough Data Showing Stable and Durable Epigenetic Regulation in Non-Human Primates

DURHAM, N.C. & SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 22, 2023--Last week, at the 26th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT), leading epigenetic editing company Tune Therapeutics showcased the power and potential of its TEMPO TM genetic tuning platform, by presenting data showing the stable repression of the PCSK9 gene and the effective reduction of LDL-cholesterol levels in non-human primates (NHPs). This data marks a significant waypoint on the path to epigenetic medicine, in that it represents the first demonstration of durable epigenetic gene regulation, in a large animal model, following transient delivery of an epi-editor.

A common therapeutic target for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, it is well established that repressing the PCSK9 gene reduces elevated LDL-cholesterol levels, in turn associated with the formation of artery-clogging plaques. The non-human primate data presented at the ASGCT conference showed that epigenome editing (or genetic tuning) can drive the stable repression of PCSK9 (ongoing past four months) following a single treatment, and without cutting or nicking the DNA, or altering its coding sequence in any way.