Research enables artificial intelligence approach to create AAV capsids for gene therapies

Cambridge, MA, November 28, 2019 -- Dyno Therapeutics, a biotechnology company pioneering use of artificial intelligence in gene therapy, today announced a publication in the journal Science that demonstrates the power of a comprehensive machine-guided approach to engineer improved capsids for gene therapy delivery. The research was conducted by Dyno co-founders Eric D. Kelsic, Ph.D. and Sam Sinai, Ph.D., together with colleague Pierce Ogden, Ph.D., at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and the Harvard Medical School laboratory of George M. Church, Ph.D., a Dyno scientific co-founder. AAV capsids are presently the most commonly used vector for gene therapy because of their established ability to deliver genetic material to patient organs with a proven safety profile. However, there are only a few naturally occurring AAV capsids, and they are deficient in essential properties for optimal gene therapy, such as targeted delivery, evasion of the immune system, higher levels of viral production, and greater transduction efficiency. Starting at Harvard in 2015, the authors set out to overcome the limitations of current capsids by developing new machine-guided technologies to rapidly and systematically engineer a suite of new, improved capsids for widespread therapeutic use.