Office of Corporate Alliances, University of Rochester Medical Center

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LAGeT Inc.


Articular cartilage defects are the leading cause of osteoarthritis, a disease that affects over 25 million Americans. Damage to articular cartilage is progressive and has previously been considered irreparable. Edward M. Schwarz, Ph.D., Paul T. Rubery, M.D., Michael D. Maloney, M.D., and Regis, J. O'Keefe, M.D., Ph.D. of the URMC Department of Orthopaedics and at the Center for Musculoskeletal Research, founded LAGeT in 2001 to commercialize Light Activated Gene Transduction (LAGT) technology. LAGT is a novel laser-guided gene delivery system that uses a proprietary device for a broad range of therapeutic applications.  Due to the expertise of the company's principals, the current focus is on musculoskeletal diseases, including osteoarthritis and spine-related repair.
 
Genes encoding proteins that stimulate tissue repair are delivered to damaged tissue in a recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus vector (rAAV). Chosen for its superior safety and efficacy profile, rAAV can be used to deliver genes to a variety of cell types and has a favorable profile for manufacture, storage, and handling. Once thought of as a limitation, rAAV carries and delivers single stranded DNA. Before they can be expressed as curative proteins, therapeutic genes delivered by rAAV must be converted to double stranded DNA within treated cells. This conversion rarely occurs spontaneously in non-dividing cells. However, pretreatment of damaged tissue with a gentle burst of UV-light delivered by the LAGT laser renders treated cells competent to perform the conversion. Once transfected, cells begin to manufacture the therapeutic proteins that stimulate tissue repair and healing. The LAGT laser thus circumvents the limitation of rAAV and allows for control of both the location and quantity of therapeutic gene expression.
 
The company is developing the LAGT prototype gene activation system in view of clinical trails. LAGeT is currently completing a $3 million equity raise and will hire six employees in Rochester, NY.

To learn more, visit LAGeT's web site.