6.10.2023 - AAVogen receives $275K grant from the National Institutes of Health

AAVogen received a $275K grant from the National Institutes of Health.  The grant title is Development of optimized adeno-associated viral capsids for muscle gene therapy and it will be funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin diseases under the R43 mechanism.  Such "Phase 1" awards (PA-121-259) support discovery research and help biotech companies develop new drugs and to validate their potential use in treating disease.  The funds will support validation of novel intellectual property, AAV capsids with improved muscle tropism but that do not target the liver or are immunogenic.

9.1.2022 - AAVogen receives $1.9MM grant from the National Institutes of Health

AAVogen received a $1.9MM grant from the National Institutes of Health.  The grant title is Preclinical Development of a Novel Gene Therapeutic for Inclusion Body Myositis and it will be funded by the National Institute on Aging under the R44 mechanism.  Such "Phase 2" awards (PA-121-259) support advanced drug development research and help biotech companies transition their discoveries past critical milestones necessary for FDA review and first-in-man clinical trials.  The funds will support studies with AVGN7 in xenograft mouse models of sIBM and will fund creation of a clinical development plan as well as assays needed in future animal studies.  It will also be performed in collaboration with Dr. Tom Lloyd, Co-Director of the Johns Hopkins Myositis Center, and with Myologica.

9.14.2021 - AAVogen publishes invited review

AAVogen published an invited review in the flagship journal of the Endocrine Society, Endocrine Reviews. The manuscript is titled "Myostatin/Activin Receptor Ligands in Muscle and the Development Status of Attenuating Drugs" and is a seminal discussion of drugs for different muscle wasting diseases. It highlights the CEO's expertise and provides a detailed discussion of the causes and potential solutions for different disease states including muscular dystrophies and myopathies.

3.19.2020 - Cure IBM highlights AAVogen in blog

The patient advocacy organization, Cure IBM (inclusion body myositis), discussed AAVogen in its blog. Cure IBM is run by Kevin Dooley, MD, a devoted advocate for IBM patients and related research communities. In addition to maintaining a patient-oriented blog, the website includes information about diagnosis, treatments and resources of interest to the IBM patient community.

9.1.2019 - AAVogen receives $225K grant from the National Institutes of Health

AAVogen received a $225,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health.  The grant title is AVGN7, a Novel Gene Therapeutic for Treating Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and it will be funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin diseases under the R43 mechanism.  Such "Phase 1" awards (PA-18-574) support discovery research and help biotech companies develop new drugs and to validate their potential use in treating disease.  The funds will support studies with AVGN7 in mouse models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and will be performed in collaboration with Myologica.

8.21.2018 - AAVogen expands SAB & clears regulatory hurdle

Two steps closer.  AAVogen welcomes it's newest member of the Science Advisory Board, Dr. Lawson Macartney, DVM/PhD.  It also holds pre/pre-IND discussions with FDA regulators and conducts a pre-IND meeting.

2.2.2018 - Washington State Magazine

Gaining on Muscle Loss.  WSU Researcher Dr. Dan Rodgers takes his personal fight with muscle wasting disease public.  After loosing his father to cancer cachexia and learning that a family member was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Dr. Rodgers decides to leave academia and start a company that makes gene therapeutics for muscle wasting disease.

1.26.2018 - WSU press release

WSU Insider. WSU spin-out company, AAVogen Inc., lands $2 million grant. "WSU has patent filings in multiple countries and is working closely with AAVogen on this potentially paradigm-shifting technology,” said Christopher Keane, Vice President for Research at WSU.

9.1.2017 - AAVogen receives $2M grant from the National Institutes of Health

AAVogen received a $2,000,000 Small Business Initiated Research grant from the National Institutes of Health.  The grant title is AVGN7, a Novel Gene Therapeutic for Treating Cancer Cachexia and it will be funded by the National Cancer Institute under the R44 mechanism.  These "direct-to-Phase 2" awards (PAR-14-008) are given to companies who can demonstrate sufficient proof-of-concept data with high-risk feasibility projects that enable bypassing the R43 mechanism. The funds will support meetings with regulatory agencies, safety/toxicology studies and other preclinical studies in animals.

12.5.2016 - GeneFo Webinar on AVGN7

YouTube (length 48:48), AVGN7 - Breakthroughs in Gene Therapy for Muscular Dystrophy and other Muscle Wasting Conditions.  Dr. Dan Rodgers, who recently co-authored a paper on Smad7 - a protein that can potentially help stop the the muscle-wasting process in Muscular Dystrophy and other muscle wasting conditions - discusses exciting developments stemming from this groundbreaking research.

12.3.2016 - AAVogen Founder receives $50K seed grant

Dr. Rodgers is awarded a $50,000 seed grant from the Washington Research Foundation and the Washington State University's Office of Commercialization.  The award will support on-going studies to determine the minimal effective dose of a novel gene therapeutic for muscle wasting diseases, AVGN7.

7.26.2016 - Discovery announcement of AVGN7

WSU News post.  Washington State University scientist Dr. Dan Rodgers and his collaborator Dr. Paul Gregorevic, of the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Research Institute in Australia, discover a novel therapeutic that could potentially save millions of lives from muscle wasting disease.

3.29.2016 - WSU Start-up Spotlight, AAVogen Inc.

WSU Economic Impact Report.  A new WSU spin-out company, AAVogen Inc., makes gene therapeutics for muscle wasting diseases.  The company originated from a collaboration between WSU's Director of the Washington Center for Muscle Biology and a collaborator at Australia's Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Research Institute.