TSHA-118 for CLN1 – Taysha announced the in-licensing of an AAV9-based gene therapy program for the treatment of CLN1. TSHA-118 was originally developed in the academic lab of Steven Gray, Ph.D., Taysha’s Chief Scientific Advisor. CLN1 Batten disease is a rapidly progressive rare lysosomal storage disease with no approved treatments. The company intends to initiate a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of TSHA-118 in 2021 under a currently open IND.
Recent Business Highlights
In October, Taysha announced a partnership with Invitae to support two different screening programs to enable rapid identification of patients with genetic disorders. DETECT Lysosomal Storage Diseases provides genetic testing for lysosomal storage disorders, including GM2 gangliosidosis and CLN1. The Behind the Seizures® program supports the diagnosis of patients with genetic epilepsies.
In November, Taysha announced a development and manufacturing partnership with Catalent to support future preclinical and clinical supply for several of Taysha’s gene therapy programs, including CLN1 and Rett syndrome.
Taysha has also invested in building its internal management team to advance the development of its broad gene therapy pipeline. The company anticipates more than tripling its headcount from its IPO by the end of 2020 across all areas of the organization.
Financial Results
As of September 30, 2020, cash and cash equivalents totaled $279 million, which includes gross proceeds of $181 million from Taysha’s IPO and $96 million from its Series B financing. Taysha was incorporated in September of 2019 and thus has no previous nine-month results for comparison.
Taysha reported R&D expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 of $19.6 million. The $19.6 million was primarily attributable to $10.0 million of expenses recognized pursuant to the Queen’s University Agreement and the Abeona CLN1 Agreement, $4.1 million related to the manufacture of clinical trial material and $3.9 million in other sponsored research agreements for the Company’s various product candidates. Additionally, Taysha incurred regulatory and clinical consulting expenses of $0.8 million and employee compensation and benefits expenses of $0.8 million, which included $0.4 million of non-cash stock-based compensation.
Taysha reported G&A expenses of $5.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The $5.0 million was primarily attributable to $2.7 million of compensation and benefits related to new hires, which included $0.9 million of non-cash stock-based compensation, $1.7 million in consulting fees, $0.5 million of legal expenses related to general corporate matters and $0.1 million related to insurance and other administrative expenses.