SOLA Biosciences Japan GK, a subsidiary of Boston-based SOLA Biosciences Inc., has received a grant of approximately 6 billion yen from the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) to advance its gene therapy program SOL-257 for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
The grant, part of AMED's Strengthening Program for Pharmaceutical Startup Ecosystem, will support the development of SOL-257 over five years. The therapy aims to restore the function of TDP-43, a protein affected in 97% of ALS cases, by utilizing SOLA’s proprietary JUMP70 platform technology.
SOLA Biosciences Japan will collaborate with its U.S. team, academic institutions, clinical organizations, manufacturing partners, and investors to push the program forward. Curie.Bio leads the investment, with The University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners involved as a follow-on investor.
Designed to harness the cell’s natural protein quality-control mechanisms, the JUMP70 platform selectively targets misfolded proteins associated with disease, addressing a central pathology in ALS. SOLA seeks to develop SOL-257 as a potentially first-in-class, disease-modifying gene therapy for global clinical development.
Keizo Koya, CEO of SOLA Biosciences, emphasized the urgency of their work for ALS patients. COO Yuta Inokuchi highlighted the opportunity to strengthen the collaboration between Japan’s scientific community and SOLA’s global capabilities.
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