Freeline Therapeutics has announced a new name and brand to reflect its focus on developing a new generation of gene therapies and advancing the practice of genetic medicine. Moving forward, the brand will be called Spur Therapeutics.
 
Building on compelling data for its lead program FLT201, a highly differentiated gene therapy candidate for Gaucher disease, Spur is pursuing an ambitious research strategy to unlock the promise of gene therapy for more prevalent chronic conditions, starting with Parkinson’s disease and certain forms of cardiovascular disease.
 
“At Spur Therapeutics, our mission is to redefine what gene therapy can do,” said Michael Parini, Spur’s CEO. “Our new name and new brand reflect our determination to alter the course of a disease with a single dose of genetic medicine and change the course of people’s lives.”

Acquisition of SwanBio

Spur also announced its acquisition of SwanBio Therapeutics, which adds a potential first-in-class gene therapy program for adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN), a devastating neurodegenerative disease, to its clinical-stage pipeline, as well as strengthened capabilities in central nervous system (CNS) disorders that can be leveraged across both its AMN and Parkinson’s disease programs.
 
Syncona Ltd., the founding shareholder in both Freeline and SwanBio and a life science investor focused on creating, building and scaling global leaders in life science, has committed an additional $50 million to support development of the expanded pipeline. Syncona Executive Partner and former SwanBio Executive Chair John Tsai has joined Spur’s Board of Directors.

Plans for the Future

Spur expects to initiate a Phase 3 trial for FLT201 in 2025 in Gaucher disease. Recently reported data from its Phase 1/2 GALILEO-1 trial highlight FLT201’s potential to set a new standard of care for Gaucher disease. FLT201 has demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile.
 
Meanwhile, building on its work in Gaucher disease, Spur’s research program in Parkinson’s disease is focused on a subset of patients with mutations in the GBA1 gene, the same gene implicated in Gaucher disease. The program leverages the same transgene as FLT201. Spur expects to select a development candidate later this year to progress into preclinical studies designed to support the program’s advancement into clinical trials.
 
Additionally, Spur has a research program, leveraging a suite of promising cardioprotective proteins to develop gene therapy candidates for cardiovascular diseases, starting with a severe subset of chronic heart failure.