n-Lorem Foundation, ChemGenes Announce Collaboration to Support Manufacturing of Individualized Treatments for Patients with Ultra-Rare Diseases

Foundation’s partnership with leading DNA/RNA manufacturing company will help reach more patients with ultra-rare diseases in utmost need

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--#ASOs--n-Lorem Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides free, lifetime supplies of individualized RNA-targeted medicines to patients living with ultra-rare diseases, today announced a new partnership with ChemGenes Corporation, a biotechnology company providing unparalleled expertise in the field of DNA/RNA synthesis for more than 40 years.

n-Lorem Foundation is the first and only foundation with a mission to provide potentially life-saving treatments to patients who have diseases caused by extremely rare mutations (1 to 30 patients worldwide) for free, for life, by coupling advanced genomic diagnostics with antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) medicines. Through its latest partnership with ChemGenes, one of the world’s leading contract manufacturers, n-Lorem will be able to better serve its mission of bringing immediate hope and near-term treatment to desperate patients with ultra-rare diseases.

“I’m truly grateful to ChemGenes and Dr. Suresh Srivastava for the very generous donation and the contribution of ASOs at a significantly reduced cost. Patients with diseases caused by ultra-rare mutations face unprecedented challenges, and we thank all of the organizations that have joined with us to try to help these patients in need,” said Dr. Stanley T. Crooke, Founder, CEO and Chairman, n-Lorem Foundation. “ChemGenes joins Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Biogen, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, Charles River Labs, Covance by Labcorp, and Korea Institute of Toxicology (KIT) as industry partners supporting our efforts at n-Lorem. With more support from additional collaborators, we can improve the lives of more patients in need.”

ChemGenes’ financial contribution and assistance in reducing manufacturing costs for antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) helps fill a critical need as n-Lorem continues to scale-up its unique charitable model to help more patients with ultra-rare mutations receive personalized treatment.

“Until n-Lorem, no organization has ever had the commitment to provide safe, custom treatments to patients with ultra-rare diseases for free, for life. We are very pleased to join n-Lorem in this endeavor as a donor and a collaborator,” said Dr. Suresh Srivastava, President, ChemGenes Corporation. “We look forward to doing our part to support n-Lorem, and working to create a better future for patients with ultra-rare mutations.”

To learn how your organization can partner with n-Lorem and help answer the challenge of treating patients with ultra-rare diseases, contact Tracy Johnson, Executive Director (Tracy.Johnson@nlorem.org). Learn more about n-Lorem’s mission at www.nlorem.org, and please consider giving to n-Lorem to bring hope, possibility and treatment options to these desperate patients and families.

• Watch: n-Lorem Foundation: Creating a Better Future for Ultra-Rare, One Patient at a Time
• Watch: n-Lorem Foundation’s 1^st year of Progress

About n-Lorem Foundation

n-Lorem Foundation is a non-profit organization established to apply the efficiency, versatility and specificity of antisense technology to charitably provide experimental antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) medicines to treat patients with ultra-rare diseases (1 to 30 patients) that are the result of a single genetic defect unique to only one or very few individuals. ASOs are short strands of modified DNA that can specifically target the transcripts of a defective gene to correct the abnormality. The advantage of experimental ASO medicines is that they can be developed rapidly, inexpensively and are highly specific. n-Lorem was founded by Stanley T. Crooke, M.D., Ph.D., former chairman and CEO, and current executive chairman of the board of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, who founded Ionis Pharmaceuticals in 1989 and, through his vision and leadership, established the company as the leader in RNA-targeted therapeutics. To learn more about the n-Lorem Foundation, visit www.nlorem.org, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

About ChemGenes Corporation

ChemGenes Corporation, a biotechnology company, recently relocated to a state-of-the-art facility in Wilmington, Massachusetts. We have consistently been a strong partner to researchers engaged in the field of DNA/RNA synthesis for 40 years. By starting out as a supplier of ‘Ultra Pure Products’ and then by becoming an active Contract Researcher, ChemGenes Corporation has achieved unparalleled expertise in the field of DNA/RNA synthesis. Thus, all of us at ChemGenes have the opportunity and great pleasure to serve a vast number of scientists in the US and all over the world. Learn more at www.chemgenes.com.

n-Lorem Contact:
Tracy Johnson, Executive Director
Tracy.Johnson@nlorem.org
760-552-7113

Media Contact:
Will Zasadny
Canale Communications
Will.Zasadny@canalecomm.com
619-961-8848