Orchard Therapeutics has licensed a range of gene therapies from GSK, which will get a 19.9% stake in the UCL spinout as part of the deal.

Pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) acquired a 19.9% stake in UK-based gene therapy developer Orchard Therapeutics yesterday as part of an agreemment to license a portfolio of gene therapies to the company.

Spun out from University College London (UCL) in 2016, Orchard Therapeutic is developing gene therapies to treat rare immune deficiencies and metabolic disorders.

The company targets conditions such as adenosine deaminase deficiency (Ada-Scid), which damages the immune system and leaves patients with virtually no protection against infections caused by bacteria,…