Cambridge, MA-based Bluebird Bio, a gene therapy company, said today it has signed an agreement with the French Muscular Dystrophy Association (AFM) to develop a treatment for beta-thalassemia (a genetic blood disorder) and sickle cell anemia. The deal is worth $1.4 million upfront, plus as much as $2.8 million in credit to manufacture clinical trial material at Généthon, AFM’s bio-therapy research center. Bluebird, which my colleague Luke profiled last September, uses a genetically engineered lentivirus to deliver a copy of a gene that enables the body to produce hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. The company’s investors include Third Rock Ventures, TVM Capital, Forbion Capital Partners, Easton Capital, and Genzyme Ventures.
Author: Gregory T. Huang
Greg is a veteran journalist who has covered a wide range of science, technology, and business. As former editor in chief, he overaw daily news, features, and events across Xconomy's national network. Before joining Xconomy, he was a features editor at New Scientist magazine, where he edited and wrote articles on physics, technology, and neuroscience. Previously he was senior writer at Technology Review, where he reported on emerging technologies, R&D, and advances in computing, robotics, and applied physics. His writing has also appeared in Wired, Nature, and The Atlantic Monthly’s website. He was named a New York Times professional fellow in 2003.
Greg is the co-author of Guanxi (Simon & Schuster, 2006), about Microsoft in China and the global competition for talent and technology. Before becoming a journalist, he did research at MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Lab. He has published 20 papers in scientific journals and conferences and spoken on innovation at Adobe, Amazon, eBay, Google, HP, Microsoft, Yahoo, and other organizations. He has a Master’s and Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
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