Audentes Therapeutics, Inc.

Audentes Therapeutics, Inc. develops and commercializes adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapies for severe neuromuscular diseases. The company’s research and development pipeline relies on preclinical testing in animal models, a standard but exclusionary practice in biotechnology. Its lead investigational therapy, licensed and advanced based on data from these animal studies, exemplifies the commercial exploitation of animals not covered by more specific codes like animal testing.

The company’s SEC filings and scientific literature reference the use of animal models for monogenic central nervous system diseases as a foundational component of its platform. This reliance places animal exploitation at the core of its business model for bringing therapies to market.

While the animal testing exclusion sub-category exists for companies engaged in regulatory compliance testing, animal_exploitation serves as the catch-all for commercial biotech firms whose primary research activities harm animals but do not fit a narrower definition. Audentes Therapeutics’ operations fall under this broad exclusion due to its dependence on animal-based research to develop and license its products.