SOLA Japan Wins ¥6B AMED Grant for ALS Gene Therapy SOL-257
Tokyo – September 28, 2026 -- SOLA Biosciences Japan GK has secured a grant of approximately 6 billion yen over five years from Japan's Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) to advance SOL-257, a gene therapy candidate targeting the TDP-43 protein implicated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The award, granted under AMED's Strengthening Program for Pharmaceutical Startup Ecosystem, was announced June 5, 2026, and positions SOLA Japan as the company's central development hub for the program.
AMED grant targets a pathology present in 97% of ALS cases
SOL-257 is designed to restore the structure and function of misfolded TDP-43, a protein that becomes mislocalized and aggregated in motor neurons in roughly 97% of ALS cases, according to SOLA. The company describes SOL-257 as a potentially first-in-class, disease-modifying gene therapy built on its proprietary JUMP70 platform.