UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form
CURRENT REPORT
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| Item 7.01 | Regulation FD Disclosure. |
From time to time, the Company presents and/or distributes slides and presentations to the investment community to provide updates and summaries of its business. On January 13, 2020, the Company updated its corporate presentation, which is available on the “For Investors & Media” section of the Company’s website at http://ir.wavelifesciences.com/. This presentation is also furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.
The information in this Item 7.01 shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.
| Item 9.01 | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
(d) Exhibits.
The following exhibit relating to Item 7.01 is furnished and not filed:
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| 99.1 |
Corporate Presentation of Wave Life Sciences Ltd. dated January 13, 2020 | |||
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Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) | |||
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| WAVE LIFE SCIENCES LTD. | ||
| By: |
/s/ Paul B. Bolno, M.D. | |
| Paul B. Bolno, M.D. | ||
| President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
Date: January 13, 2020
Wave Life Sciences Corporate Presentation January 13, 2020 Exhibit 99.1
Forward-looking statements This document contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this document, including statements regarding possible or assumed future results of operations, preclinical and clinical studies, business strategies, research and development plans, collaborations and partnerships, regulatory activities and timing thereof, competitive position, potential growth opportunities, use of proceeds and the effects of competition are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Wave Life Sciences Ltd. (the “Company”) to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “aim,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this presentation are only predictions. The Company has based these forward-looking statements largely on its current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that it believes may affect the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this presentation and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those listed under Risk Factors in the Company’s Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified and some of which are beyond the Company’s control. The events and circumstances reflected in the Company’s forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur, and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Moreover, the Company operates in a dynamic industry and economy. New risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties that the Company may face. Except as required by applicable law, the Company does not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.
THERAPEUTIC AREA/MODALITY TARGET DISCOVERY PRECLINICAL CLINICAL ESTIMATED U.S. PREVALENCE* PARTNER Huntington’s disease Allele – selective silencing WVE-120101 mHTT SNP1 ~10,000 / ~35,000 Takeda 50:50 option WVE-120102 mHTT SNP2 ~10,000 / ~35,000 Takeda 50:50 option mHTT SNP3 ~8,000 / ~30,000 Takeda 50:50 option ALS and FTD Allele – selective silencing C9orf72 ~1,800 (ALS) ~7,000 (FTD) Takeda 50:50 option Spinocerebellar ataxia 3 Silencing ATXN3 ~4,500 Takeda 50:50 option CNS diseases Multiple† Takeda milestones & royalties Retinal diseases USH2A and multiple 100% global Metabolic liver diseases Silencing Multiple Pfizer milestones & royalties ADAR RNA-editing Multiple 100% global OTHER CNS OPHTHALMOLOGY HEPATIC Phase 1b/2a Phase 1b/2a and OLE Pipeline spanning multiple modalities, novel targets *Estimates of U.S. prevalence and addressable population by target based on publicly available data and are approximate; for Huntington’s disease, numbers approximate manifest and pre-manifest populations, respectively. †During a four-year term, Wave and Takeda may collaborate on up to six preclinical targets at any one time. ALS: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; FTD: Frontotemporal dementia; CNS: Central nervous system; OLE: Open-label extension
WVE-120101 WVE-120102 Huntington’s Disease
Huntington’s disease: a hereditary, fatal disorder Sources: Auerbach W, et al. Hum Mol Genet. 2001;10:2515-2523. Dragatsis I, et al. Nat Genet. 2000;26:300-306. Leavitt BR, et al. J Neurochem. 2006;96:1121-1129. Nasir J, et al. Cell. 1995;81:811-823. Reiner A, et al. J Neurosci. 2001;21:7608-7619. White JK, et al. Nat Genet. 1997;17:404-410. Zeitlin S, et al. Nat Genet. 1995;11:155-163. Carroll JB, et al. Mol Ther. 2011;19:2178-2185. HDSA ‘What is Huntington’s disease?’ https://hdsa.org/what-is-hd/overview-of-huntingtons-disease/ Accessed: 11/2/18.; Becanovic, K., et al., Nat Neurosci, 2015. 18(6): p. 807-16. Van Raamsdonk, J.M., et al., Hum Mol Genet, 2005. 14(10): p. 1379-92.; Van Raamsdonk, J.M., et al., BMC Neurosci, 2006. 7: p. 80. DNA CAG Repeat RNA wild-type (healthy) allele RNA mutant allele Normal CAG Repeat Expanded CAG Repeat Healthy protein (HTT) Mutant protein (mHTT) Neuro HD Autosomal dominant disease, characterized by cognitive decline, psychiatric illness and chorea; fatal No approved disease-modifying therapies Expanded CAG triplet repeat in HTT gene results in production of mutant huntingtin protein (mHTT); accumulation of mHTT causes progressive loss of neurons in the brain Wild-type (healthy) HTT protein critical for neuronal function; evidence suggests wild-type HTT loss of function plays a role in Huntington’s disease 30,000 people with Huntington’s disease in the US; another 200,000 at risk of developing the condition
Evidence suggests wild-type or healthy HTT is neuroprotective in an adult brain Transport of key neurotrophic factors such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are regulated by wtHTT levels Relative proportion of wild-type to mutant protein is critical Increased amount of wild-type protein relative to mutant HTT may result in slower disease progression (measured by age-at-onset) Patients with lack of wild-type have significantly more severe disease Importance of wild-type huntingtin (wtHTT) in HD Neuro HD Huntington’s disease (HD) may be caused by a dominant gain of function in mutant HTT and a loss of function of wtHTT protein Sources: Van Raamsdonk, J.M., et al., Hum Mol Genet, 2005; Van Raamsdonk, J.M., et al., BMC Neurosci, 2006; Becanovic, K., et al., Nat Neurosci, 2015; Saudou, F. and S. Humbert, The Biology of Huntingtin. Neuron, 2016; Gauthier, L.R., et al., Cell, 2004; Caviston, J.P. and E.L. Holzbaur, Trends Cell Biol, 2009; Ho, L.W., et al., J Med Genet, 2001, Zuccato et al., Science 2001; Zuccato et al., Brain Pathol 2007; Marullo et al. Genome Biol 2010 BDNF TrkB ERK CREB transport BDNF Neuroprotection
Wild-type HTT in the cortex appears critical for striatal health Presented by Dr. Frederic Saudou at Wave’s Analyst and Investor Research Day on October 7, 2019 Virlogeux et al., Cell Reports 2018 Neuro HD Neuron Type Genetic Status Compartment Cortical Striatal Network Status Functional Dysfunctional Post-synaptic Synaptic Presynaptic Status of the presynaptic compartment determines the integrity of the network
Utilize association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and genetic mutations to specifically target errors in genetic disorders, including Huntington’s disease (HD) Potential to provide treatment for up to 80% of HD population Wave approach: novel, allele-selective silencing Source: Kay, et al. Personalized gene silencing therapeutics for Huntington disease. Clin Genet. 2014;86:29–36. Neuro HD Aims to lower mHTT transcript while leaving healthy wild-type HTT relatively intact Allele-selectivity possible by targeting SNPs associated with expanded long CAG repeat in HTT gene RNase H and ASO:RNA RNA mutant allele
Selective reduction of mHTT mRNA & protein Reporter Cell Line* Neuro HD Source: Meena, Zboray L, Svrzikapa N, et al. Selectivity and biodistribution of WVE-120101, a potential antisense oligonucleotide therapy for the treatment of Huntington’s disease. Paper presented at: 69th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology; April 28, 2017; Boston, MA.
Demonstrated delivery to brain tissue WVE-120101 and WVE-120102 distribution in cynomolgus non-human primate brain following intrathecal bolus injection In Situ Hybridization ViewRNA stained tissue Red dots are WVE-120102 oligonucleotide Arrow points to nuclear and perinuclear distribution of WVE-120102 in caudate nucleus Red dots are WVE-120101 oligonucleotide Arrow points to nuclear and perinuclear distribution of WVE- 120101 in cingulate cortex CIC = cingulate cortex In Situ Hybridization ViewRNA stained tissue Neuro HD CN = caudate nucleus Source: Meena, Zboray L, Svrzikapa N, et al. Selectivity and biodistribution of WVE-120101, a potential antisense oligonucleotide therapy for the treatment of Huntington’s disease. Paper presented at: 69th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology; April 28, 2017; Boston, MA.
PRECISION-HD clinical trial design Two parallel, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 1b/2a clinical trials for WVE-120101 and WVE-120102 Single Dose (3:1) Multidose Randomization 3:1 196 1 At least 8 week washout CSF sample Dose 28 56 84 112 Study Day* 140 OLE 2 mg 4 mg 8 mg 16 mg 32 mg Multidose Cohorts N = 12 per cohort OLE: Open label extension; CSF: cerebrospinal fluid *Study day may be longer depending on patient washout period PRECISION-HD2 OLE: Initiated October 2019 PRECISION-HD1 OLE: Expected to initiate in 2020 Neuro HD PRECISION-HD2 data from 32 mg cohort in expected in 2H 2020 PRECISION-HD1 topline data, including 32 mg cohort, in 2H 2020
PRECISION-HD2 topline results Clinical trial ongoing Neuro HD Doses Safety Biomarker Effects Topline results announced December 30. 2019; mHTT: mutant huntingtinwtHTT: wild-type HTTtHTT: total HTT 1 Hodges-Lehmann non-parametric shift estimates of the difference between treatment and placebo; 2 Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney non-parametric significance test; 3 Multiple Contrast Test (MCT) mHTT wtHTT WVE-120102 2–16 mg (pooled) Generally safe and well tolerated Reduction in mHTT compared to placebo (-12.4%1, p<0.052) Analysis across groups suggests dose response at highest doses (p=0.03)3 No change in tHTT compared to placebo Ongoing evaluation 32 mg cohort initiated Assessing dose for next cohort Safety profile supports addition of higher dose cohorts Potential for greater mHTT reduction at higher doses Larger reductions of mHTT expected to result in discernible impact on tHTT
Advancing allele-selective HD programs Intend to explore efficacy in early manifest and pre-manifest HD patient populations Neuro HD Potential to address ~80% of HD patient population % Huntington’s Disease Patient Population with SNP SNP1 SNP2 SNP3 SNP1 SNP2 SNP1 SNP2 SNP3 ~50% ~50% ~40% ~70% ~80% +10% of HD patients vs. SNP1 + SNP2
SNP3 Preclinical Program Huntington’s Disease
Potent mutant HTT knockdown activity Greater knockdown of mutant HTT as compared to pan-silencing compound Wave allele-selective compounds are more potent than pan-silencing RG6042 analog in preclinical study involving patient-derived neurons ~7-fold shift Pan-silencing RG6042 analog Wave SNP3 Compound-1 Wave SNP3 Compound-2 HTT mRNA remaining in iCell neurons (homozygous for SNP) incubated with the indicated ASO under free-uptake conditions. Data show mean ± sem (n=4). Homozygous iCell Neurons Neuro HD
Stereopure oligonucleotides are selective in vitro Stereopure isomers targeting a SNP variant promote RNase H-mediated degradation of mutant HTT while sparing wild-type HTT Biochemical RNase H assays RNase H experiments performed with synthetic RNA substrates corresponding to mHTT and wtHTT variants (S:E = 100:1; n=2). Percentage of the indicated full-length RNA substrate remaining over time is plotted for the stereopure SNP3 Compound-1 (left) and stereopure SNP3 Compound-2 (right). Abbreviations: S, substrate; E, enzyme. Wave SNP3 Compound-1/mHTT Wave SNP3 Compound-1/wtHTT Time (min) % RNA substrate remaining Wave SNP3 Compound-2/mHTT Wave SNP3 Compound-2/wtHTT % RNA substrate remaining Time (min) Neuro HD
Demonstration of allele-selective silencing Stereopure compounds selectively deplete mutant HTT mRNA Neurons were derived from GM21756 patient-derived fibroblasts (heterozygous for SNP) and treated with 2.2 mM (left) or 20 mM (right) of the indicated ASO under gymnotic conditions for 7 days. RNA was quantified and normalized to TUBB3. Data are mean ± sem (n=3). Percentage of remaining wtHTT and mHTT mRNA is indicated. No loss of selectivity with increasing concentrations [20 µM] PBS PBS Pan-silencing RG6042 analog Pan-silencing RG6042 analog Wave SNP3 Compound-1 Wave SNP3 Compound-2 Wave SNP3 Compound-1 Wave SNP3 Compound-2 [2 µM] Neuro HD
In vivo model to assess target engagement and durability BACHD mouse model Expressed transcript includes SNP3 variant that Wave compounds are targeting Model is homozygous for mutant HTT with SNP3 (only has one type of HTT) Over-expresses mHTT (multiple gene copies) No ability to assess allele selectivity Oligonucleotide concentration in tissues Achieved good tissue exposure over 12-weeks in BACHD cortex and striatum Oligonucleotide or PBS (3 x 100 µg ICV) was delivered to BACHD mice. Oligonucleotides were quantified by ELISA. Tissue exposure over time CORTEX STRIATUM Pan-silencing RG6042 analog Wave SNP3 Compound-1 Wave SNP3 Compound-2 Neuro HD
Durable in vivo mutant HTT knockdown with stereopure SNP3 compounds Knockdown persists for 12 weeks Oligonucleotide or PBS (3 x 100 mg ICV) was delivered to BACHD mice. Relative percentage of HTT/TUBB3 mRNA in cortex with respect to levels in PBS-treated mice is shown at 2-12 weeks post-injection. Statistics: All oligo treatment groups are statistically significantly different from PBS; One-way ANOVA ****, P≤0.0001. Wave SNP3 Compound-1 and Compound-2 are also significantly different from RG6042 analog at 8 and 12 weeks ***, P<0.005; **P=0.001. Relative percentage mHTT expression Relative percentage mHTT expression PBS Pan-silencing RG6042 analog Wave SNP3 Compound-1 Wave SNP3 Compound-2 PBS Pan-silencing RG6042 analog Wave SNP3 Compound-1 Wave SNP3 Compound-2 BACHD Cortex BACHD Striatum ** **** *** **** **** **** Neuro HD Clinical development expected to initiate in 2H 2020
PRISM Platform
Through iterative analysis of in vitro and in vivo outcomes and artificial intelligence-driven predictive modeling, Wave continues to define design principles that are deployed across programs to rapidly develop and manufacture clinical candidates that meet pre-defined product profiles DESIGN Unique ability to construct stereopure oligonucleotides with one defined and consistent profile Enables Wave to target genetically defined diseases with stereopure oligonucleotides across multiple therapeutic modalities OPTIMIZE A deep understanding of how the interplay among oligonucleotide sequence, chemistry, and backbone stereochemistry impacts key pharmacological properties SEQUENCE STEREOCHEMISTRY CHEMISTRY
Importance of controlling stereochemistry (Rp) (Sp) Top view Side view Yellow spheres represent ‘S’ atomsPS: Phosphorothioate Number of PS linkages in oligonucleotide backbone No. diastereomers 80T 60T 40T 20T 30B 22M 12M 2M 1M 500K 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 Antisense, exon skipping, ssRNAi ADAR oligonucleotide CRISPR guide Stereochemical diversity Exponential diversity arises from uncontrolled stereochemistry
Continuous Learning PRISM platform enables rational drug design Source: Iwamoto N, et al. Control of phosphorothioate stereochemistry substantially increases the efficacy of antisense oligonucleotides. Nat Biotechnol. 2017;35:845-851.
Liver Knockdown of Serum APOC3 Protein Levels in Mice Two 5 mg/kg SC injections on Days 1&3 Stereorandom Stereopure Data represented in this slide from in vivo studies. CNS: PBS = phosphate buffered saline; Ctx = cortex; Str = striatum; Cb = cerebellum; Hp = hippocampus; SC = spinal cord. ICV = intracerebral; IVT = intravitreal; IV = intravenous; SC= subcutaneous. Optimizing potency and durability across multiple tissues CNS Malat1 Transcript Knockdown in Mice 10 Weeks after single 100 µg ICV injection Malat1 Transcript Knockdown (Percentage of control) PBS Ctx Str Cb Hp SC Eye MALAT1 Knockdown in Non-Human Primates Single 450 µg IVT injection PBS Stereopure Retina MALAT1 RNA Remaining MALAT1/GAPDH 1 week 8 weeks 16 weeks APOC3 Protein (Relative to PBS) Time (weeks)
C9orf72 program Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)
C9orf72: a critical genetic risk factor C9orf72 gene provides instructions for making protein found in various tissues, with abundance in nerve cells in the cerebral cortex and motor neurons C9orf72 genetic mutations are the strongest genetic risk factor found to date for the more common, non-inherited (sporadic) forms of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD); GGGGCC repeat drives the formation and accumulation of dipeptide repeat proteins that accumulate in brain tissue First pathogenic mechanism identified to be a genetic link between familial (inherited) ALS and FTD Most common mutation identified associated with familial ALS and FTD Availability of dipeptide biomarker in CSF has potential to accelerate drug development expanded GGGGCC repeat hexanucleotide repeat transcript Neuro C9orf72 Source: DeJesus-Hernandez M, Mackenzie IR, Boeve BF, et al. Neuron. 2011;72:245-256. Renton AE, Majounie E, Waite A, et al. Neuron. 2011;72:257-268.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by the progressive degeneration of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord Affects approximately 15,000-20,000 people in the US with a median survival of three years C9orf72 is present in approximately 40% of familial ALS and 8-10% of sporadic ALS; currently the most common demonstrated mutation related to ALS, far more so than SOD1 or TDP-43 Pathogenic transcripts of the C9orf72 gene contain hundreds to thousands of hexanucleotide repeats compared to 2-23 in wild-type transcripts; dominant trait with high penetrance Source: Renton AE, Chiò A, Traynor BJ. State of play in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis genetics. Nat Neurosci. 2014;17:17–23. Neuro C9orf72 ~40% ~8-10% ~10% ~90%
Frontotemporal dementia Progressive neuronal atrophy with loss in the frontal and temporal cortices characterized by personality and behavioral changes, as well as gradual impairment of language skills Affects approximately 55,000 people in the US Second most common form of early-onset dementia after Alzheimer’s disease in people under the age of 65 Up to 50% of FTD patients have a family history of dementia, many inheriting FTD as an autosomal dominant trait with high penetrance Pathogenic transcripts of the C9orf72 gene contain hundreds to thousands of hexanucleotide repeats compared to 2-23 in wild-type transcripts Neuro C9orf72 ~38% ~6% Sources: Stevens M, et al. Familial aggregation in frontotemporal dementia. Neurology. 1998;50:1541-1545. Majounie E, et al. Frequency of the C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia: a cross-sectional study. Lancet Neurol. 2012;11:323-330. 10% - 50% 50% - 90%
C9orf72 program: Allele-selective silencing in vivo C9orf72 genetic mutations are the strongest genetic risk factor found to date for the more common, non-inherited (sporadic) forms of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD); GGGGCC repeat drives the formation and accumulation of dipeptide repeat proteins that accumulate in brain tissue Wave’s approach: Selectively silence the GGGGCC repeat containing transcript while minimizing the impact on normal C9orf72 protein Repeat containing transcripts in spinal cord **** ns PBS Lead Candidate PBS Lead Candidate Presented at Analyst and Investor Research Day October 7, 2019; Experimental description: 2 x 50 ug on day 1 and day 8; mRNA Samples were analyzed using quantitative PCR (Taqman assay), Protein samples were measured by Western Blot. Selective silencing of C9orf72 in vivo (transgenic mouse) Clinical development expected to initiate in 2H 2020 C9orf72 protein in spinal cord Reduction of repeat containing transcripts Protein preservation p<0.0001 Neuro C9orf72
Ophthalmology
Stereopure oligonucleotides for inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) Wave ophthalmology opportunity Oligonucleotides can be administered by intravitreal (IVT) injection; targeting twice per year dosing Stereopure oligonucleotides open novel strategies in both dominant and recessive IRDs; potential for potent and durable effect with low immune response Successful targeting of MALAT1 is a surrogate for an ASO mechanism of action Widely expressed in many different cell types Only expressed in the nucleus Intravitreal injection Sources: Daiger S, et al. Clin Genet. 2013;84:132-141. Wong CH, et al. Biostatistics. 2018; DOI: 10.1093/biostatistics/kxx069. Athanasiou D, et al. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2018;62:1–23. Daiger S, et al. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2015;5:a017129. Verbakel S, et al. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2018:66:157-186.; Short, B.G.; Toxicology Pathology, Jan 2008. Ophthalmology
Stereopure compound induces potent and durable MALAT1 knockdown in the eye ~50% MALAT1 knockdown at 9 months Mouse: Compound or PBS (1 x 50 mg IVT) was delivered to C57BL6 mice. Relative percentage of Malat1 RNA in the posterior of the eye (retina, choroid, sclera) to PBS-treated mice is shown at 12, 20 and 36 weeks post-single injection. Statistics: Compound-2 Malat1 levels are significantly different from NTC at 36 weeks ***, P<0.001; **** P<0.0001, respectively. PBS = phosphate buffered saline; NTC= chemistry matched non-targeting control; Compound-1 and Compound-2 are stereopure MALAT1-targeting antisense oligonucleotide. NHP: Oligonucleotide or PBS (1 x 450 mg IVT) was delivered to NHP. Relative percentage of MALAT1 RNA in the retina to PBS-treated is shown at 1 week, 2 and 4 months, post-single injection. Compound-1 is a stereopure MALAT1-RNA-targeting antisense oligonucleotide. PBS NTC Compound-1 Compound-2 Time (weeks) **** *** Ophthalmology In vivo duration of effect in the NHP retina In vivo duration of effect in the mouse retina PBS Compound-1 >90% knockdown of MALAT1 maintained for 4 months
Usher Syndrome Type 2A: a progressive vision loss disorder Autosomal recessive disease characterized by hearing loss at birth and progressive vision loss beginning in adolescence or adulthood Caused by mutations in USH2A gene (72 exons) that disrupt production of usherin protein in retina, leading to degeneration of the photoreceptors No approved disease-modifying therapies ~5,000 addressable patients in US Sources: Boughman et al., 1983. J Chron Dis. 36:595-603; Seyedahmadi et al., 2004. Exp Eye Res. 79:167-173; Liu et al., 2007. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104:4413-4418. Oligonucleotides that promote USH2A exon 13 skipping may restore production of functional usherin protein Ophthalmology
Potent USH2A exon 13 skipping with stereopure compound in vitro and ex vivo Left: Compounds were added to Y79 cells under free-uptake conditions. Exon skipping was evaluated by Taqman assays. USH2A transcripts were normalized to SRSF9. Data are mean±s.d., n=2. Reference Compound: van Diepen et al. 2018. Antisense oligonucleotides for the treatment of eye disease. W02018055134A1. Compound-1 is a stereopure antisense oligonucleotide. Right: Whole NHP and human eyes were enucleated (n=4 and n=2, respectively) and compounds (1–20 µM) were added to extracted retinas under free-uptake conditions. Exon skipping was evaluated by 48 hrs later by Taqman assays on RNA. USH2A transcript levels were normalized to SRSF9. Data presented are mean± s.e.m. Enhanced potency over a stereorandom reference compound (in vitro) Ophthalmology Target engagement in NHP and human retinas (ex vivo) PBS NTC Compound-1 20 20 10 5 1 [µM] PBS NTC Compound-1 20 20 10 [µM] NHP Human
Allele-selective reduction of SNP-containing allele for adRP associated with Rhodopsin P23H mutation Ferrari et al., Current Genomics. 2011;12:238-249.; Reporter assays on a Wave stereopure sequence as well as a sequence described in WO2016138353A1: ASO and luciferase reporter plasmids (wild-type and mutant rhodopsin) are transfected into Cos7 cells. 48-hours later, cells are harvested, and relative luminescence is measured. Stereorandom Stereopure Collaborations in place for evaluation in transgenic human Rho P23H pig model In vivo Ophthalmology Retinitis pigmentosa (RP): group of rare, genetic eye disorders resulting in progressive photoreceptor cell death and gradual functional loss; currently no cure ~10% of US autosomal dominant RP cases are caused by the P23H mutation in the rhodopsin gene (RHO) Mutant P23H rhodopsin protein is thought to misfold and co-aggregate with wild-type rhodopsin, resulting in a gain-of-function or dominant negative effect in rod photoreceptor cells
ADAR-mediated RNA editing
RNA-editing can be used for several therapeutic applications and supplement Wave’s existing modalities Silence protein expression Reduce levels of toxic mRNA/protein ü ü Alter mRNA splicing Exon skipping/inclusion/ restore frame ü ü Fix nonsense mutations that cannot be splice-corrected Restore protein expression ü Fix missense mutations that cannot be splice-corrected Restore protein function ü Modify amino acid codons Alter protein function ü Remove upstream ORF Increase protein expression ü Strategy Therapeutic Application Silencing Splicing RNA Editing Treatment Modality PRISM I (G): ADAR converts A>I, I is recognized as G by all cellular machinery; ADAR: Adenosine Deaminase Acting on RNA; ORF: Open reading frame
Structure of ADAR deaminase domain bound to dsRNA substrate Using PRISM to unlock ADAR-mediated RNA editing Target mRNA Oligonucleotide ADAR makes multiple contacts with oligonucleotide backbone, sugar and bases Using PRISM platform, rationally designed and screened oligonucleotides to optimize: 2' sugar chemistry Backbone chemistry and stereochemistry Size and structure Modified nucleobases ~1,000 RNA editing oligonucleotides tested over the last year to develop SAR for editing format PRISM Structure adapted from Matthews et al., Nat Struct Mol Biol. (2016); SAR = structure-activity relationship; ADAR: Adenosine Deaminase Acting on RNA; dsRNA = double-stranded RNA
Wave’s ADAR approach has several potential advantages over existing technologies Require AAV or lipid nano particle delivery Require exogenous protein (e.g. CAS13 or chimeric ADAR) Free uptake into tissues Uses endogenous ADAR for editing Use unmodified RNA Fully chemically-modified stereopure oligonucleotides Stability Delivery Editing PRISM Existing RNA editing technologies Wave’s RNA editing platform Single oligonucleotide through free uptake is sufficient for editing
RNA editing with endogenous ADAR achieved across multiple primary human cell types Stereochemistry significantly increases editing across all cell lines tested, especially for gymnotic delivery GalNAc-conjugated fully-modified stereopure oligonucleotide can be used for targeted editing in hepatocytes; in vitro experiments suggest an EC50 of ~100 nM in primary hepatocytes In vivo editing with fully modified stereopure oligonucleotide studies underway Hepatocytes (GalNAc-Mediated Uptake) Hepatocytes (Gymnotic Uptake) Bronchial Epithelial Cells (Gymnotic Uptake) Stereopure oligonucleotide Stereorandom oligonucleotide No editing detected Stereopure oligonucleotide Stereorandom oligonucleotide PRISM In vivo editing data expected in 2020 Editing UAG Site in Actin mRNA in Primary Human Cell Lines
Anticipated upcoming Wave milestones CNS 2H 2020: PRECISION-HD2 data from 32 mg cohort in Huntington’s disease 2H 2020: PRECISION-HD1 topline data, including 32 mg cohort, in Huntington’s disease 2H 2020: Initiate clinical development of SNP3 program in Huntington’s disease 2H 2020: Initiate clinical development of C9orf72 program in ALS and FTD Ophthalmology 2020: Advance USH2A exon-skipping program RNA-editing 2020: In vivo ADAR editing data
Realizing the potential of genetic medicines For more information: Kate Rausch, Investor Relations krausch@wavelifesci.com 617.949.4827