Passage Bio, Partner on Counseling, Testing for Form of Early Onset Dementia

 

• No-cost genetic screening and counseling program aimed at identifying FTD patients who have certain inherited genetic mutations to guide early treatment intervention and awareness of clinical trials
  

• Passage Bio is evaluating gene therapy candidate, PBFT02, for treatment of FTD with granulin mutations

 Passage Bio, Inc. (NASDAQ: PASG), a clinical-stage genetic medicines company focused on developing transformative therapies for rare, monogenic central nervous system disorders; and InformedDNA, the nation’s leading genetics services organization, today announced a collaboration to provide no-cost genetic counseling and testing for adults who have been diagnosed by their physicians with Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD).

The testing program will facilitate identification of patients with FTD with certain inherited genetic mutations, providing an important step for early and precise treatment intervention, as well as supporting clinical trial recruitment and enrollment. FTD is a debilitating form of early onset dementia that currently has no approved disease-modifying therapies. Approximately 30 percent of all FTD is hereditary and most commonly involves a mutation of the granulin (GRN), C9orf72 or MAPT genes – all of which are tested for in this program.

“FTD is a life-threatening condition that progresses rapidly and has an average survival of eight years after onset of symptoms, so it is critical that patients are identified as early as possible to achieve the best outcomes for them,” said Bruce Goldsmith, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Passage Bio. “By partnering with InformedDNA, we are able to offer patients with FTD an option to potentially identify whether there is an inherited genetic mutation causing their disease. This will enable clinicians to intervene sooner with an appropriate treatment approach for their specific form of the disorder. We believe this collaboration can serve as a valuable resource for the FTD community, allowing for earlier treatment or participation in clinical trials aimed at finding innovative treatment options.”

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/passage-bio-partners-informeddna-offer-110000718.html