Passage Bio Betting on Penn Connection to Give It an Edge in Developing Gene Therapies

Earlier this year Passage Bio announced its launch with $115.5 million in funding and a group of founders with a strong pedigree. The company’s founders include gene therapy pioneer James Wilson, pharmaceutical industry veteran Tachi Yamada, and former Alexion executive and OrbiMed Venture Partner Stephen Squinto. One point of distinction for the company is its unique partnership with the University of Pennsylvania and its Gene Therapy Program, which gives it access to technology developed there, as well as its preclinical translational science capabilities. We spoke Squinto, interim CEO of Passage Bio, about the company’s focus on rare monogenic CNS diseases, its relationship with Penn, and why he’s confident with strong data, discussion with payers will not be a problem.