Mogrify solidifies IP position surrounding core technology and expands platform algorithm to enhance cell conversion

Mogrify Limited, a UK company aiming to transform the development of ex vivo cell therapies and pioneer the field of in vivo reprogramming therapies, has announced it had secured the assignment of the foundational intellectual property (IP) underpinning its core direct cell conversion technology (MOGRIFY^® V1) and extended the method to allow for the inclusion of new sources of data and more accurate transcription factor predictions (MOGRIFY V2). The expansion of rights has allowed the Company to bring the latest version of the technology in-house.

The MOGRIFY platform utilizes a systematic big-data approach (Rackham et al., Nature Genetics, 2016) developed over a 10-year period via a multi-national research collaboration. By deploying next-generation sequencing and gene regulatory data, the platform enables the prediction of the transcription factors (or small molecules) and culture medium conditions required to produce (ex vivo or in vivo) any target cell type from any source cell type.

The Company’s patent portfolio includes data for over 150 cell types, of which more than 30 cell conversions are covered in the foundational patent filing with two additional conversion specific patents filed covering the production of chondrocytes and fetal cardiomyocytes. Further conversion specific patents are expected in a number of areas relating to the Company’s internal product pipeline.

Specific progress in Mogrify’s intellectual property position includes the assignment and negotiation of commercially enabling terms for the use of the foundational MOGRIFY patent from RIKEN, University of Bristol, and Monash University, which covers the method of direct cell differentiation and exemplified predictions of numerous human cell conversions.

The latest version of the technology, in-licensed from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology with support from LifeArc, incorporates next-generation bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing data into the algorithm to enhance the quality and accuracy of transcription factor predictions and cell conversion efficacy. Bringing this in-house will enable Mogrify to identify the key regulators required to convert any cell type in the human body, supporting its bid to develop scalable off-the-shelf therapies across multiple therapeutic areas.

Joe Foster, Chief Operating Officer, Mogrify, said: “The progress we have made in securing our IP position will enable further commercialization via internal development programs and co-development partnerships. MOGRIFY V2 enables the inclusion of new sources of data and delivers enhanced prediction quality, prediction accuracy, and cell conversion efficacy, helping the Company to engineer an evergreen and scalable source of cell types that exhibit efficacy and safety profiles necessary to address diseases with a high unmet clinical need.”

Alastair Hick, PhD, Senior Director, Monash Innovation, said: “We are excited to continue strengthening our relationship with Mogrify and to support their commercialization efforts. It is great to see the significant progress the Company has made on multiple fronts to develop this exciting technology platform."

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