Jan 25, 2022   SOURCE: BusinessWire

VectorY and Wageningen University Sign Strategic Collaboration for the Development of Novel Baculovirus-based AAV Production Technologies

VectorY Therapeutics, a biotech company focusing on the development of innovative gene therapy approaches for the treatment of muscular and neurodegenerative disorders through vectorized antibodies, today announces a collaboration with Wageningen University to develop novel baculovirus-based technologies for the production of safe and affordable AAV gene therapies.

One of the most important challenges for the gene therapy industry is to develop robust and scalable manufacturing processes that yield safe therapies. VectorY, together with its partner Wageningen University, is making an important strategic investment in these therapies of the future, by developing a production platform capable of successfully manufacturing safe products at a significant lower COGS. The collaboration represents an important step to enable the medical and economical feasibility of gene therapy for diseases that affect larger patient populations.

Under the terms of the collaboration, the Bioprocess Engineering and Virology Groups at Wageningen University and VectorY Therapeutics will work together on two projects. One will utilize the molecular toolbox to generate innovative stable baculovirus genome seeds for AAV production at large scale. The second will focus on the design and evaluation of an intensified and scalable baculovirus production process in bioreactors using state of the art bioprocess technologies.

“We are very pleased to be collaborating with VectorY to develop proprietary, next generation AAV expression systems and industry-leading bioprocessing capabilities”, said Monique van Oers, Professor of Virology, Wageningen University.

“We are honored to partner with Wageningen University, a significant pioneer in the Baculovirology and Bioprocessing field. This partnership will further strengthen VectorY’s proprietary AAV production technologies for the development of Next Generation Gene Therapies”, added Alexander Vos, CEO VectorY Therapeutics.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

About VectorY

VectorY combines the therapeutic potential of antibodies and gene therapy to develop long-lasting therapeutic solutions for muscular and neurodegenerative diseases with high unmet medical need. Founded in October 2020, and based in the Amsterdam Science Park, VectorY is a fully integrated gene therapy company focused on the development of innovative therapeutics based on a novel AAV gene therapy platform andantibody- based targeted degradation technologies, and proprietary manufacturing technology. VectorY develops proprietary & partnered programs and product candidates are based on new technologies that will enable the next generation of highly scalable manufacturing processes within VectorY’s own manufacturing facilities. VectorY’s manufacturing capabilities will include a state-of-the-art multi-product GMP facility in the Netherlands, with the capability to deliver suspension based AAV viral vector manufacturing of up to 2000L for both clinical and commercial supply.

For more information, see www.vectorytx.com

Wageningen University & Research

The mission of Wageningen University and Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 6.800 employees and 12.900 students, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. An integrated approach to problems and the cooperation between various disciplines are at the heart of Wageningen’s unique approach. As such, the Laboratory of Virology and The Bioprocess Engineering group work closely together in a number of biotechnological projects aimed at the further development of the baculovirus expression system for vaccine production and gene therapy applications. By combining our research efforts we can optimally profit from knowledge gained in fundamental virology and new technological developments in bioprocess engineering.

For more information, see https://www.wur.nl/en.htm