Investment Themes

Gene therapies aim to provide a permanent cure rather than just managing a disease. Specifically, the goal is to fix an inherited genetic defect. The trigger of disease is an error in the genetic information that may for instance cause a certain protein to be non-functioning. Treatments such as enzyme replacement therapy remedy this deficiency. Certain virus types such as adeno-associated viruses or retroviruses act as messengers by inserting the desired gene into the cell so that the information is read and implemented.

Neurological diseases span a broad spectrum of brain and peripheral nervous system dysfunction, including conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, depression, migraine and multiple sclerosis. Rapid aging of the global population poses growing challenges to healthcare systems. On top of the increasing cost of medicines, the cost of residential care adds to the burden. The demand for new therapies that modify disease outcome instead of just relieving symptoms is all the more urgent.

Artificial intelligence can be used, for example, to identify the most suitable development candidates more quickly and at less cost. Collaborative interaction between humans and machines is vital here, and a balance must be found between in silico experimentation and in vitro experiments. The objective is to support the efforts of scientists through the use of AI.

RNA-based therapeutics act like a kind of biological software that uses a genetic search-and-delete mechanism to block the production of disease-causing proteins. The drugs do this by targeting RNA, the substance that carries the instructions for making and assembling proteins inside our cells.