NeuShen Therapeutics Inc., a Shanghai and Boston-based biotechnology company focusing on developing innovative treatments for central nervous system (CNS) disorders with dual platforms of AAV-based gene therapy and small molecule discovery, would like to announce that it has entered a three-year Sponsored Research Agreement with UMass Chan Medical School (UMass Chan), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, for gene therapy development for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a rare neurological disease.

Dr. Jun Xie, PhD, Associate Professor of Microbiology & Physiological Systems at UMass Chan, will serve as principal investigator of the program. NeuShen will work closely with Dr. Xie and his team to provide support in the project management, biological and analytical assessment and etc. The program will be under the direction of Dr. Guangping Gao, PhD, the Penelope Booth Rockwell Professor in Biomedical Research, Professor of Microbiology & Physiological Systems, Director of the Horae Gene Therapy Center and co-director of the Li Weibo Institute for Rare Diseases Research.

Dr. Gao is an internationally-recognized gene therapy researcher who has played a key role in discovering and characterizing a new family of adeno-associated virus (AAV) serotypes, which impacting gene therapy research for currently untreatable human diseases.

“We are thrilled to enter into this research agreement with the Xie Lab at Horae Gene Therapy Center of UMass Chan, which has been leading the world in AAV research for decades, as we step into gene therapy research for CNS disorders,” said Dr. Joan Shen, MD, PhD, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of NeuShen. “ALS is the most common type of motor neuron diseases with no known cure. The average survival from onset to death is two to four years and currently only six drugs are approved by the FDA and have limited benefits. We believe that the best therapy for this devastating disease has not yet been discovered, and we look forward to working with Dr. Xie, Dr. Gao and their team on their innovative research, as well as the new treatments that may arise from it.”

“In the first collaboration between NeuShen and our research group at UMass Chan, we will work as one team to tackle ALS which represents a highly unmet medical need. This could serve as an entry point to exploring the application of gene therapy for broader CNS disorders. The extensive experience of NeuShen team in the development of neurotherapeutics will be critical to this collaboration as well,” said Dr. Gao. “We expect more in-depth and broader collaborations in the future.”

The NeuShen partnership was facilitated by Bridge Innovation and Business Development at UMass Chan Medical School.

About NeuShen Therapeutics
NeuShen Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focusing on innovative drug research and development to address CNS disorders, applying dual research platforms, including AAV-based gene therapy and small molecule discovery. With operations both in Shanghai, China and Boston, MA, NeuShen has a world-class team and is honored to be advised by an outstanding Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board.

About UMass Chan Medical School
UMass Chan Medical School, one of five campuses of the University of Massachusetts system, comprises the T.H. Chan School of Medicine; the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing; Commonwealth Medicine, a public service consulting division; and MassBiologics, the only nonprofit, FDA-licensed manufacturer of vaccines, biologics and viral vector gene therapies in the United States. UMass Chan’s mission is to advance the health and wellness of our diverse communities throughout Massachusetts and across the world by leading and innovating in education, research, health care delivery and public service. In doing so, it has built a reputation as a world-class research institution and as a leader in primary care education, perennially ranked in the top 10 percent of medical schools for primary care by U.S. News and World Report. UMass Chan attracts more than $300 million annually in research funding, placing it among the top 50 medical schools in the nation. In 2021, the Medical School received a $175 million donation from The Morningside Foundation and was renamed UMass Chan Medical School.