Opportunity

• There is currently no treatment targeting the genetic cause of Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) available
• We showed that Smchd1 deletion in committed cells causes selective gene reactivation at the PWS cluster
• Seeking partners to progress the development of SMCHD1 inhibitors as a potential PWS therapy

PWS occurs due to mutations in the paternal allele causing a failure to express critical genes. It affects 1 in 10,000 newborns and medical care per patient is between $30-66,000 annually.

Current treatments target symptoms instead of the genetic cause of PWS. 

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The technology

SMCHD1 represses PWS critical genes on the maternal allele.

We showed selective gene reactivation from Smchd1 deletion, suggesting that SMCHD1 could be a potential PWS therapy target (Table 1). 

Opportunities for partnership 

We are seeking partners to co-develop SMCHD1 inhibitors. 

We have:

• Foremost experts in SMCHD1, a world class structural biology program and an excellent understanding of SMCHD1 
• A SMCHD1 inhibitor and in vitro neural cell assays to conduct initial testing

We are seeking investments to:

• enable the in vivo validation of Smchd1 inhibition in PWS mouse model
• perform proof-of-concet experiments in patient iPSC-derived hypothalamic neurons
• complete our medicinal chemistry program

Scientific team

Associate Professor Marnie Blewitt, Head, Molecular Medicine Division

Associate Professor James Murphy, Laboratory Head, Cell Signalling and Cell Death Division

Contact

Dr Janet Yeo, Business Development Associate

Phone: +61 3 9345 2673

Email: partnering@wehi.edu.au