WATERTOWN, Mass. — Dyno Therapeutics said Astellas Pharma Inc. has exercised its option to license a novel adeno-associated virus capsid engineered for gene delivery to skeletal muscle, marking a key milestone in the companies’ ongoing collaboration.
The agreement triggers a $15 million license fee to Dyno, along with the potential for additional milestone payments and royalties tied to future development and commercialization.
The licensed capsid is the first to emerge from the companies’ 2021 research collaboration and represents Dyno’s second overall capsid license. The company previously licensed a capsid for neurological disease applications to Roche in 2025. Dyno said it is now the first company to successfully license AI-designed AAV capsids for both central nervous system and muscle-targeted gene therapies.
Gene therapies targeting muscle disorders have historically faced challenges due to the limited ability of naturally occurring AAV capsids to deliver therapeutic payloads efficiently without high doses, which can raise safety concerns and increase manufacturing complexity.
Dyno uses artificial intelligence models trained on large-scale in vivo datasets to design capsids with improved delivery performance compared to traditional methods such as rational design or directed evolution.
“Dyno was founded on the thesis that revolutionary AI technologies would enable us to solve longstanding challenges such as engineering AAV capsids for improved gene delivery, and this license is evidence that we’re achieving that vision,” said Eric Kelsic, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Cofounder of Dyno Therapeutics. “Astellas’ decision to license a Dyno muscle capsid validates years of AI platform development and positions this capsid as one of the most promising gene delivery vectors ready for clinical advancement. The Dyno-Astellas partnership reflects Astellas’ commitment to investing in innovative new technologies with the potential to transform patient lives by solving for the root causes of genetic disease.”
The company said the capsid demonstrated strong skeletal muscle targeting in nonhuman primate studies while remaining compatible with existing AAV9-based manufacturing processes, which could support scalable production.
“This capsid demonstrates that Dyno’s AI can navigate capsid sequence space at a scale and speed that traditional methods simply can’t match, and our NHP data reflects that,” said Adrian Veres, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Cofounder of Dyno Therapeutics. “We’re achieving safer, more effective therapeutic delivery to skeletal and cardiac muscle at low doses that were out of reach just a few years ago.”
Under the agreement, Astellas will take responsibility for preclinical, clinical, and commercialization activities for therapies developed using the licensed capsid, while Dyno remains eligible for development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, as well as royalties on any resulting products.
