US-based biotechnology company Ginkgo Bioworks and Canada-based Virica Biotech have partnered to enhance their respective adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy platforms.
Ginkgo is a cell programming platform that provides flexible, end-to-end services for organisations in food and agriculture, pharmaceuticals, industrial, and speciality chemicals.
Virica is a developer of enhancers for scaling viral vectors, along with other cell and gene therapies, and has developed small molecule enhancers, known as Viral Sensitizers (VSEs).
The collaboration aims to address the high costs of manufacturing, one of the major barriers to the broad adoption of AAV-based gene therapies.
It will leverage Ginkgo’s advanced capabilities in AAV services and Virica’s in-house developed VSE enhancer platform to provide a combined offering.
Ginkgo said the combined offering will help enhance the production and quality of AAVs, reduce production costs and make gene therapies more accessible to patients.
Ginkgo Bioworks genetic medicines vice president Narendra Maheshri said: “Our collaboration with Virica Biotech aligns perfectly with Ginkgo’s mission to provide innovative solutions to the gene therapy industry.
“We’re excited to combine our proprietary HEKMo cell line, along with our proprietary innovations in plasmid engineering, with the exciting addition of VSEs.
“By integrating our high-throughput screening capabilities with Virica’s proprietary VSEs, we are well-positioned to drive down the costs of AAV manufacturing and provide a unique one-stop solution to our partners.”
Under the partnership, Virica will provide Ginkgo with a panel of VSEs for use in high-throughput AAV production screening for its clients.
Ginkgo’s advanced screening platform enables rapid testing of VSEs directly in clients’ cell lines, providing valuable insights into how these molecules will perform at larger scales.
The synergistic impact of VSEs with cell line modifications, novel plasmid constructs, and optimal bioprocess will provide a holistic solution to enhance AAV production efficiency.
Virica Biotech CEO Jean-Simon Diallo said: “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.
“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.”
Last year, Ginkgo Bioworks partnered with Merck (MSD outside of the US and Canada) to enhance biologic manufacturing, and with Pfizer to discover and develop new RNA molecules.
