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Passage Bio (NASDAQ:PASG) shares were up 9% Wednesday after the biotech company reported encouraging Phase 1/2 data for its gene therapy candidate PBFT02 in the treatment of a type of early onset dementia and issued an update on its drug programs.
The biotech company said data from its upliFT-D study of PBFT02 in the treatment of frontotemporal dementia with granulin mutations, or FTD-GRN, exceeded its expectations. As a result, it intends to not only continue developing the therapy for FTD-GRN but also explore its potential in treating neurodegenerative diseases such as FTD-c90rf72, ALS and Alzheimer’s.
Passage also said that it is “actively exploring” partnerships to advance its GM1 gangliosidosis and clinical stage pediatric programs. It is also prioritizing its Huntington’s disease preclinical program through its partnership with the Penn Gene Therapy Program.
The company expects to initiate dosing for Cohort 2 FTD-GRN patients in the first half of 2024 and report six-month data from Cohort 1 patients in the second half of the year.
