CARMINE THERAPEUTICS PTE. LTD. Business Review

Singapore gene therapy start-up clinches deal of over S$1.2b with global pharmaceutical giant

A local gene therapy start-up has clinched a deal of more than S$1.2 billion with a global pharmaceutical giant to develop and eventually commercialise its treatments for rare genetic diseases. Carmine Therapeutics, formed last year and believed to be the first gene therapy company in South-east Asia, and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, an R&D-driven, Japanese multinational pharmaceutical company, inked the deal on June 19. Gene therapy is a treatment where genes are injected into patients to fight or prevent diseases, instead of using chemical drugs or surgery. Carmine developed a novel technology that uses tiny particles released by red blood cells, called extracellular vesicles, to deliver genes to parts of the body that need to be treated.