Dyno-Mite! Gene Therapy Alliance Provides the Spark

Drug development technology platforms were front and center on day 2 of the 2023 ASAP BioPharma Conference last month. In addition to being the focus of the opening plenary panel, they were also the subject of one of the last sessions of the day as alliance managers from Dyno Therapeutics and Spark Therapeutics sat down with moderator Christine Carberry, CSAP, principal of Carberry Consulting, to give their perspective on their companies’ so-far successful and harmonious collaboration in the panel “Stick to Your Strengths: Optimizing Platform-to-Patient Partnerships.”

Creative Instruction: Educating Stakeholders on What IP Can Be Shared

On one level, the Dyno-Spark alliance is straightforward: Dyno provides the gene therapy platform, which Spark is using to add a liver treatment to its pipeline of assets, and in one sense the lanes are clearly marked. Unlike several of the panelists from the earlier plenary session, “Advancing Drug Discovery Through Platform Alliances,” whose companies were simultaneously looking to commercialize both the platform and the assets they generated off of it, Dyno has no designs on making drugs itself. 

“Unlike our competitors, we’re not developing our own therapeutics,” said Lisa Mendoza, CA-AM, PhD, head of partner success at Dyno Therapeutics. “The biggest bottleneck [in the gene therapy industry] is delivery. We’re aiming to solve that challenge.” 

Nevertheless, both companies still have other partners, as well as other competing internal interests. Spark, for example, utilizes capsids, a protein coat that encloses a virus’s genetic material, made by Dyno, as well as proprietary capsids developed internally at the company. Dyno and Spark both have capsid experts working on joint initiatives in various capacities. Just as it had come up in “Advancing Drug Discovery Through Platform Alliances” earlier in the day, intellectual property challenges abound in Dyno and Spark’s affairs. 

“You have to balance that transparency with protecting each company’s IP because it could be a disaster for the collaboration or the company if something is overshared, but at the same time you don’t want to hinder their creativity,” said Nathan Springman, alliance management lead at Spark Therapeutics. 

Two-on-One Fast Break to Collaborative Creativity

Springman revealed that Spark’s IP lawyers sit in on Joint Research Committee (JRC) meetings in order to keep the conversation legally kosher, so to speak, and put in guardrails wherever appropriate. Spark is now part of Roche, and scientists from both entities collaborate with Dyno—“It’s two-on-one, to some extent,” quipped Springman—which necessitates additional “firewalling.” 

“That’s something we have to manage internally,” said Springman, who added that his Dyno counterparts often don’t see the behind-the-scenes machinations that ultimately ensure that what gets shared with the partner is in fact safe to divulge. In fact, where one of the panelists in the morning session leaned on an FAQ document to answer questions about what data can be disclosed, Springman revealed that Spark “has a really good training program around [information-sharing practices].”  

When the News Is Bad and Partners Want Something Better

Dyno also has its fair share of obstacles to negotiate. As is the case with any other type of pharma initiative, there’s always a possibility that findings don’t pan out as hoped in platform collaborations. Mendoza noted that one of her company’s core alliance principles, “unexpected transparency,” guides how alliance managers communicate with Spark and other partners.  

“It’s really important that we be up front about the status of the program, about how the research is going. Sometimes that’s difficult when the research doesn’t go exactly as you would like it to go,” said Mendoza. “We’re not afraid to share even the hard stuff with our partners, even though it might not be pleasant or easy.” 

As a platform provider, Dyno sees all of its partnerships as highly strategic—since it won’t be taking any assets to market, the partners are the program, in a sense. Its alliance team members try to give all allies the white-glove treatment. Sometimes the feeling isn’t mutual.   

“There’s a risk that some partners will see us more as a service provider. When that happens, I think the collaboration is very difficult,” said Mendoza, before mimicking what that attitude might sound like: “‘You haven’t delivered what we want. Come back when you have something better.’”

Around the World Every 90 Days 

But in hearing both Mendoza and Springman talk, it’s clear that this isn’t the case in the Dyno-Spark collaboration. 

Where other partners might balk at Dyno working with competitors, Mendoza said Spark and Roche have been very supportive, mostly because Spark understands the importance of Dyno’s long-term viability. 

“We want you to be around, so we can continue working with you,” said Mendoza, characterizing her alliance counterpart’s point of view. 

And boy do they enjoy working with each other. Throughout the year, the respective alliance stakeholders span two continents to attend quarterly JRC meetings in person at each of the four company locations—between the two organizations, the alliance teams have offices in Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, and Basel, Switzerland. To maximize everyone’s time, a Joint Operating Team (JOT) meeting is scheduled the day before the JRC gathering. In between, the teams have lunch, dinner, and drinks together.  

“Doing that is a huge builder of trust,” said Springman. “Building that core trust and openness is absolutely critical to the relationship.” 

“It has paid off huge dividends,” concurred  Mendoza. “These are friends now, not just collaboration partners.” 

Relational Capital Buys a Ship That’s Built to Last

Up until now, it has been mostly smooth sailing for Dyno and Spark. The few instances of discontent that have arisen have been quelled by both organizations’ overriding commitment to delivering breakthroughs for patients. Springman spoke of a time when some questions came in from Brazil’s regulatory authority toward the end of the business day, forcing some team members to stay back against their will.  

“You remind them that there are children in Brazil that need the medicine that are waiting,” said Springman.  

Still, like any multiyear biopharma alliance, the Dyno-Spark boat is bound to hit choppy seas at some point. Mendoza feels the relationship is battle-tested and ready, whenever that might happen. 

“You can never predict when things are going to change. Building that relational capital is really valuable. It’s like a savings account. You don’t want to touch your savings account, but when you need it…,” she said. 

Gene therapy is still a relatively new field, one with immeasurable promise, and some people are eagerly anticipating the Dyno-Spark alliance’s potentially powerful endgame. 

“I can’t wait to see how this story unfolds,” said Carberry.