Merlin Pharmaceutical Corp., Somatix deal

The companies signed a definitive merger agreement under which SOMA will acquire Merlin in exchange for up to 3 million SOMA shares. Merlin is developing in vivo gene therapies based on adenoviral (AV) and adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector technologies.

Merlin (New York) has a preclinical program using AAV vectors for Parkinson’s disease in collaboration with Yale University. The company also is developing AV and AAV vectors for cardiovascular disease and cancer. In the October Nature Genetics, Merlin scientists reported for the first time that AAV vectors can safely and stably transfer and express in rat brains a therapeutic gene (tyrosine hydroxylase) for Parkinson’s disease. ...