As financial prospects for gene therapies dim, an ambitious charity picks up the torch

As financial prospects for gene therapies dim, an ambitious charity picks up the torch

Telethon Foundation of Milan hopes to serve as a model for others looking to deliver gene therapies to patients when drugmakers are not.

STAT+: As Financial Prospects For Gene Therapies Dim, An Ambitious Charity Picks Up The Torch

MILAN — For more than three decades, a charity here has funded research aimed at developing medicines for genetic diseases. Recently, though, it added an unusual new role — as a gene therapy company of sorts.  The charity, the Telethon Foundation, took ownership from a small biotech of a drug that has been approved in Europe to treat an ultra-rare immune disorder called ADA-SCID. In taking such a step — something no nonprofit had done anywhere —…