Suzhou/Guangzhou, China – [16th, June,2026] – GenAssist Ltd (“GenAssist”), a leading gene therapy company, and International VeloGene Biotechnology Co ., Limited (“Velogene”), a pioneer in genetically engineered mouse model technology, jointly announced today the global launch of a series of validated humanized Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) mouse models. Developed through a successful multi-year collaboration, these models are now commercially available via Velogene’s TurboMice™ tetraploid complementation platform to academic institutions and biopharmaceutical companies worldwide, aiming to de-risk and accelerate preclinical pipelines for DMD therapies, including ASOs, gene editing, and gene replacement strategies.
DMD is a fatal X-linked neuromuscular disorder and remains one of the most challenging unmet medical needs in rare diseases. A significant bottleneck in global drug development has been the lack of animal models that accurately recapitulate human disease pathology. Addressing this gap, GenAssist leveraged its expertise in base editing and DMD therapy, combined with Velogene Bio’s proprietary TurboMice™ tetraploid complementation platform, to overcome the technical hurdles of complex DMD model generation. The resulting suite of models exhibits high fidelity to human phenotypes. These models especially support preclinical evaluation for exon 50, 51, 53, and 45 skipping therapies, covering over 30% of the global DMD patient population.” Among these model, humanized exon 50 DMD mice have already been successfully utilized to support the preclinical validation of GenAssist’s lead DMD base editor program GEN6050X, which received FDA IND clearance in 2025.
Dr. Chunyan He, CEO of GenAssist, commented:
“The FDA IND clearance for our lead DMD candidate GEN6050X validates our scientific approach. However, we recognize that DMD is a global challenge that no single company can solve alone. These models represent years of dedicated R&D between GenAssist and Velogene; they are the engine behind our own progress. By opening access to the global research community, we hope to lower the barrier to entry for DMD drug discovery and improve the robustness of preclinical data across the board. This initiative reflects GenAssist’s core mission: to empower scientific advancement and deliver meaningful treatments to patients faster.”
Dr. Guangming Wu, CEO of Velogene, added:
“As the model development partner, we are proud that our TurboMice™ platform enabled the creation of these complex models that were previously difficult or impossible to generate efficiently. Traditional methods often suffer from long lead times and low success rates, hindering therapeutic progress. The models we are launching today represent the current state-of-the-art in DMD modeling. Velogene is committed to ensuring the stable supply and rigorous quality control of these critical resources. We look forward to seeing researchers worldwide leverage these ‘Made-in-China’ tools to drive breakthroughs in neuromuscular disease.”
This strategic move highlights a shift in China’s biotech sector from closed-door R&D to open innovation, underscoring the growing contribution of domestic companies to the global life sciences ecosystem.
About GenAssist Ltd
GenAssist is a leading biotechnology company focused on developing next-generation therapeutics for genetic diseases using tissue-specific AAV delivery platforms. With deep expertise in neuromuscular disorders such as DMD and hereditary cardiomyopathy, GenAssist achieved a significant milestone with FDA IND approval for its first-in-class DMD base editing therapy.
About Velogene Biotechnology -TurboMice™
VeloGene Biotechnology is the first model animal platform enterprise to achieve industrial mass production of tetraploid complementation technology (TurboMice™). Committed to building world-leading model animal infrastructure with disruptive underlying modeling technologies, the company serves innovative pharmaceutical enterprises, universities and scientific research institutions at home and abroad.
The core team members of VeloGene Bio hail from top domestic and international research institutions. Dr. Wu Guangming, founder of the company, has conducted research on embryonic development and genetics at renowned research institutes in the United States and Germany since 1995. He returned to China under talent introduction programs in 2019. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to embryonic development research, the name of Research Fellow Wu Guangming is permanently displayed at the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany.
To GenAssit:
https://genassisttx.com/newsroom/P02607170
To VeloGene Biotechnology – TurboMice™