Ring Therapeutics, a life sciences company founded by Flagship Pioneering to revolutionize genetic medicines with its commensal virome platform, today announced new preclinical data demonstrating successful transduction and redosability of its Anellovector within non-human primates, as well as expanded payload capacity for the vector beyond the natural genome size of anelloviruses (ANV). The data, which will be presented as one oral presentation and two posters at the 27th Annual America Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) conference, showcases the viability of Anellovectors as the next generation of viral vectors.

"I am thrilled that our Ring team has achieved this significant milestone in non-human primates showcasing transduction, redosability, and expanded payload capacity of Anellovectors,” said Tuyen Ong, MD, MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Ring Therapeutics and CEO-Partner at Flagship Pioneering. “Only a few short years ago, we set out to create a safe and effective viral vector from a human commensal virus, and the NHP data provides critical insights into how Anellovectors may work in humans. Additionally, the expanded payload capacity of Anellovectors widens the therapeutic potential of this novel vector class allowing even more patients to be potentially treated. These data demonstrate our significant progress in advancing Anellovectors towards the clinic, positioning Ring another step closer to delivering life-changing therapies for patients.”

Presentation details and key highlights below:

Expanded Payload Capacity

Title: Anellovectors: Expanding the Payload Capacity of Anellovirus-Based Vectors Beyond the Wild-Type Genome CapacityAbstract number: 450Presenter: Cato PrincePresentation location, date, and time: Exhibit Hall, Wed, May 8, 12:00 PM ET

• Using vector genomes of increasing size, we have demonstrated that Anellovectors are capable of packaging vector genomes up to 5.0kb, representing up to 65% beyond the wild-type genome capacity.
• The overall potential for Anellovector cargo capacity appears to exceed the ~4.7 kb cargo capacity of Adeno-associated viruses (AAV).
• Unlike AAV, which appears to exhibit a strict packaging limit, Anellovectors allow for the packaging of genomes larger than the wild-type genome.
• A combination of qPCR and next-generation sequencing was used to verify that the encapsidated expanded cargo DNA is intact, circular, and single-stranded.
• Expanding the Anellovector's payload capacity builds upon its intrinsic characteristics of immune favorability and tropism in efforts to reach the broadest possible patient population in need of gene therapies.

Transduction and Redosability in NHPs

Title: Anellovector Derived from Human Retinal Pigment Epithelium Delivers and Expresses a Therapeutically Relevant DNA Payload in the Retina of Nonhuman PrimatesAbstract number: 444Presenter: Parmi ThakkerPresentation location, date, and time: Exhibit Hall, Wed, May 8, 12:00 PM ET

• Anellovectors, when administered intravitreally in NHPs, demonstrated transgene infectivity and expression in ocular tissues.
• Additionally, we observed significant increase in transgene infectivity and expression in the neuroretina of the eye that received a repeat dose compared to the eye treated only once, showcasing the Anellovector’s potential for redosing as well with no signs of ocular toxicity.​
• These data are the first demonstration of therapeutic payload delivery with an ANV vector and represent an initial investigation into the potential use of this novel platform to treat eye diseases such as wet AMD.

Anellovector Platform Overview

Title: Anellovectors, a Gene Delivery Platform Based on Commensal Human Anelloviruses, Have the Potential to Evade the Immune System and Deliver DNA Payloads to a Broad Range of Tissues in a Redosable MannerSpeaker: Chris Wright, MD, PhD – Chief Medical Officer at Ring TherapeuticsSession Title and Location: Emerging Viral Vectors – Ballroom 4, Baltimore Convention CenterPresentation time: Thurs, May 9, 5:00 – 5:15 PM ET

About Ring Therapeutics

Ring Therapeutics is revolutionizing the genetic medicines and nucleic acid space by harnessing the most abundant and diverse member of the human commensal virome, anelloviruses. The company developed the Anellogy™ platform which focuses on anelloviruses to potentially treat a broad range of diseases. Through harnessing the unique properties of these commensal viruses, the Anellogy™ platform generates diverse vectors that exhibit both tissue-specific tropism and the potential to be re-dosed. Ring Therapeutics, founded by Flagship Pioneering in 2017, aims to develop and further expand its portfolio by leveraging its platform to unlock the full potential of gene therapy and nucleic acid medicines, enabling a variety of mechanisms that successfully deliver therapeutic cargo to unreachable organs and tissues. To learn more, visit https://www.ringtx.com/ or follow us on X (Twitter) at @Ring_tx.

Press ContactsRing Therapeutics MediaBrittany Leigh, PhDLifeSci Communicationsbleigh@lifescicomms.com813-767-7801