Cell therapy weekly: Strategic partnerships to advance cell and gene therapies
This week: Three strategic partnerships have been established among six biotechnology companies, each addressing key challenges in cell and gene therapy innovation. Matica Biotechnology (TX, USA) and CytoImmune Therapeutics (Candelaria Arenas, Puerto Rico) are focusing on the development of novel cell therapies, while Ginkgo Bioworks (MA, USA) and Virica Biotech (Ottawa, Canada) are collaborating to optimize adeno-associated virus (AAV) manufacturing processes. Meanwhile, Nona Biosciences (MA, USA) and OverT Bio (NY, USA) are joining forces to advance next-generation cell therapies specifically targeting solid tumors.
The news highlights:
- Strategic partnership for cell therapy development and manufacturing
- Enhancing AAV gene therapy manufacturing
- Developing next-generation cell therapies for solid tumors
Strategic partnership for cell therapy development and manufacturing
Matica Bio, a CDMO specializing in viral vector production, has formed a strategic partnership with CytoImmune Therapeutics, a biotech company dedicated to developing cutting-edge cell therapies for cancer treatment. Through this collaboration, Matica Bio will handle the production of viral vectors at its GMP facility, while CytoImmune will focus on manufacturing its cell therapy for Investigational New Drug application submission.
Paul Kim, CEO of Matica Bio stated: “The combined effort to advance a clinical cell therapy program is an exciting opportunity for both organizations. We believe this collaboration is essential for mutual growth and will help deliver a product manufactured by experts in viral vector and cell therapy. CytoImmune’s expertise in research, development and manufacturing of cell therapies complements Matica Bio’s capabilities in viral vector process development, GMP production, product release and stability assessment. Together, we will ensure continued success and foster future innovations in the advanced therapies space.”
Enhancing AAV gene therapy manufacturing
Ginkgo Bioworks and Virica Biotech have entered into a strategic partnership to improve AAV gene therapy manufacturing with the aim of addressing the high cost of AAV production. By combining Ginkgo’s advanced AAV services and Virica’s proprietary Viral Sensitizer (VSE™) enhancer platform, the partnership aims to boost production efficiency and reduce costs.
Virica Biotech will supply Ginkgo with a range of VSEs for use in high-throughput AAV production screening. Ginkgo’s advanced screening platform enables rapid testing of VSEs directly in client cell lines, offering key insights into their performance at larger scales. The combination of VSEs with cell line modifications, novel plasmid constructs and optimized bioprocesses will provide Ginkgo’s partners with a comprehensive solution to improve AAV production efficiency.
“Partnering with Ginkgo allows us to expand our capacity by leveraging their advanced screening and manufacturing capabilities, which are critical for rapidly identifying the most effective combination of VSEs for AAV production,” said Jean-Simon Diallo, CEO of Virica Biotech. “This partnership will enhance our ability to bring high-impact VSE solutions to market faster and also reinforces our commitment to improving the accessibility of gene therapies worldwide.”
Developing next-generation cell therapies for solid tumors
A strategic collaboration between Nona Biosciences and OverT Bio will leverage Nona’s proprietary fully human HCAb Harbour Mice® platform and its innovative direct CAR-function-based HCAb library screening platform, NonaCarFx™, to develop next generation cell therapies for solid tumors.
Mat Legut, CEO of OverT Bio, stated: “We are excited to partner with Nona as we are advancing the field of genetically enhanced allogeneic gamma delta T cells. By leveraging Nona’s fully human HCAbs, we are accelerating the development of our first clinical program to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our differentiated cell engineering platforms.”
