Sana Biotechnology has bought central nervous system therapy developer and portfolio company Oscine, which is founded on University of Rochester research.

Oscine Therapeutics, a US-based brain disease drug developer spun out of University of Rochester Medical Center, was acquired in September 2020 by cell therapy developer Sana Biotechnology for $8.5m. Oscine’s cell therapy platform has been developed to treat brain and central nervous system (CNS) diseases including Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis. It focuses on leveraging the body’s stem cells to create new glial cells, which typically secure neurons in the brain, after they have been damaged by disease. Sana is now set to add Oscine’s preclinical pipeline to its portfolio and has appointed Oscine’s scientific founder Steve Goldman, professor of neurology and neuroscience at University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), as head of CNS therapy. Oscine had secured an undisclosed amount from Sana in June 2019 and was also backed by F-Prime Capital Partners, a subsidiary of investment and financial services group Fidelity, as well as venture capital firms Arch Venture Partners and Flagship Pioneering. – This article was updated on January 18, 2021, after Sana Biotechnology confirmed the date and acquisition price in its IPO filing.

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