Novasep and Advanced Biotherapeutics Consulting to develop adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors
Strategic partnership creates a world-leading CDMO that will supply AAV-based viral vectors, an increasingly attractive therapeutic platform for gene therapy
Novasep, a leading supplier of services and technologies for the life sciences industry, and Advanced Biotherapeutics Consulting (ABC), a service provider that leverages the expertise of the Nantes Gene Therapy Institute led by Philippe Moullier, MD, PhD, have entered into a CDMO (Contract Development Manufacturing Organisation) partnership.
This partnership enables the companies to provide their respective customers with the full range of services relating to adeno-associated virus (AAV) viral vector production.
Although still at the proof-of-concept stage, AAV vector-based drugs have shown promising results in several gene therapy clinical trials. AAV vectors feature several key advantages compared with other vectors; they are seen as the upcoming technology of choice to treat serious genetic disorders.
Novasep’s ambition is to build and offer an AAV excellence platform to the gene therapy market. The partnership with ABC provides Novasep customers with access to expert early stage drug development services, which complements Novasep’s existing capacity in AAV vector development and production.
For ABC, the deal is a means to further support its customers after early stage development, when production is scaling-up. For AAV drug developers, this partnership will facilitate the technology transfer from one partner to the other and therefore simplify and accelerate the development phase for joint customers.
‘We are very proud to see the partnership sealed with the renowned Nantes team through ABC,’ said Alain Lamproye, President of the Biopharma BU. ‘AAV-based drugs have very specific features and their development requires a very large set of expertise. Novasep and ABC decided to team up as both teams have complementary skills that perfectly fit with AAV-based drug developer needs.’
‘Novasep first came to our attention following its selection by pharmaceutical companies to support large-scale biotherapeutic production. Partnering with Novasep is an incredible opportunity for ABC. It expands our internal expertise in process development and analytics,’ said Philippe Moullier.