University of Pennsylvania scientist Jim Wilson cofounded Scout Bio, which is developing gene therapies for pets. The firm is being acquired by Ceva Santé Animale.University of Pennsylvania scientist Jim Wilson’s work on gene therapy is the basis of several treatments for rare human diseases, theOn Thursday, a large French manufacturer of veterinary medicines announced it was purchasing Scout Bio, a Philadelphia-based start-up that Wilson cofounded to develop gene therapies for pets.
“They decided to build on the presence of Scout in Philadelphia and the relationship with us, which is testimony to our ecosystem,” he said.The move comes after a difficult two years for the biotech industry, with high interest rates fueling a decline in investment and layoffs at life-science start-ups in Philadelphia, Boston, and the San Francisco
Gene therapies for pets will be technologically similar to the treatments that have worked so well in treating rare human diseases, but they will be different in two key respects, Wilson said. They will be aimed atPet gene therapies are one-time treatments