Author Archives: Millie Nelson

ReNAgade takes off with $300m+ to tackle RNA challenges

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The $300 million Series A financing round will support development of an all-RNA delivery platform, says ReNAgade. Massachusetts-based start-up company ReNAgade claims its RNA platform combines delivery technologies, such as lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), with a wide range of coding, editing, and gene insertion tools to enable an all-RNA system to develop medicines. With $300 million raised in a Series A financing round led by biotech investors MPM BioImpact and F2 Ventures, a spokesperson for ReNAgade told BioProcess Insider,“the funding will…

May 25, 2023

Thermo Fisher opens drug product facility in Singapore

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Thermo Fisher Scientific said the opening of its drug product facility in Singapore will advance research, development, and production of medicines and vaccines. In October 2020, the firm announced it would add two filling lines in Singapore to support growing demand for sterile injectables. The expansion was valued at $130 million at time of construction but Thermo Fisher said it could not disclose specific financials now the plant is open. The facility has been established with the support of the…

May 24, 2023

Inhouse vs external capacity? Choose both, says Bayer

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Inhouse and outsourcing comes with risks, but according to Bayer a mixture of both capacities is needed.  Presenting at BPI Europe 2023 in Amsterdam, Ulrich Ruemonapp, head of launch preparation and coordination at Bayer discussed the pros and cons of outsourcing and provided delegates with information on how to navigate the selection of and relationship with your chosen contract manufacturing organization (CMO). He outlined how both options come with potential risk and reward. If you decide to stay inhouse –…

May 24, 2023

AstraZeneca ups gene editing capabilities with Revvity deal

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Revvity will license its Pin-point gene editing platform to AstraZeneca to develop cell therapies for the treatment of immune-meditated diseases and cancer. The non-exclusive agreement, of which financial details have not been divulged, will focus on Revvity’s Pin-Point base editing system as well as its underlying technology. Through gaining access to this gene editing technology, AstraZenca aims to advance its work in the cell therapy space. According to Revvity, its Pin-point system is different to other base editing systems in…

May 22, 2023

uBriGene steps into US with Mustang Bio facility buy

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CDMO uBriGene will expand into the US market through the acquisition of Mustang Bio’s manufacturing facility in Boston, Massachusetts. The deal, of which financial details have not been disclosed, sees cell and gene therapy (CGT) contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) uBriGene acquire a GMP manufacturing plant from Mustang Bio in Worcester, Massachusetts. uBriGene is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada and already has two manufacturing facilities in China. The 27,000 square-foot Worcester manufacturing site has clinical facilities for the production of…

May 19, 2023

Two-pronged approach advances Omisirge accessibility, says Gamida

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Gamida Cell says its two-pronged strategic approach includes accomplishing a successful commercial strategy with FDA approved Omisirge and pursuing partnerships. In April, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Gamida’s Omisirge (omidubicel), an allogeneic cell therapy for patients with blood cancers who are set to undergo stem cell transplantation. Omisirge is a modified allogeneic cord blood-based cell therapy to quicken the recovery of neutrophils and reduce the risk of infection. It is intended for use in patients with blood…

May 18, 2023

Scribe and Prevail ink $75m CRISPR deal

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Scribe Therapeutics’ CRISPR by Design will be combined with Prevail Therapeutics’ knowledge in developing genetic medicines to treat neurological disorders. The collaboration between Scribe and Eli Lilly subsidiary, Prevail Lilly, which the company agreed to buy in December 2020 for $880 million will advance in vivo CRISPR-based genetic medicines for neurological and neuromuscular diseases. Under the terms of the deal, Prevail will gain the rights to Scribe’s CRISPR X-Editing (XE) technologies. The technology is used for the development of in…

May 18, 2023

Astellas and Sony ink deal to develop ADC platform

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Using Sony Corporation’s KIRAVIA Backbone material, Astellas Pharma has partnered with the firm to jointly discover an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) platform. The collaborative research agreement, of which financial details have not been disclosed, will focus on developing an ADC platform in oncology using Sony’s polymeric material, KIRAVIA Backbone, as a linker. The linker  delivers anti-cancer drugs to targeted cells and aims to improve therapeutic efficacy by reaching high Drug-to-Antibody Ratio (DAR). According to both parties, the linkers conjugates antibodies and…

May 17, 2023

NewBiologix launches with $50m to develop CGT platform

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With $50 million in Series A funding, NewBiologix aims to tackle challenges associated with the production of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV).   The recently launched Lausanne, Switzerland-based company, NewBiologix, focuses on rAAV vectors, which is a typical delivery vehicle used for gene therapies. The firm is developing a DNA-based platform for the advanced engineering of cell lines used to produce cell and gene therapies (CGT) and it will be applied to human (HEK-293) and mammalian (CHO) cell lines. “By engineering…

May 16, 2023

BPI Europe: Dutch industry board pushes country’s CGT prowess

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Talent pool, logistics, and a collaborative ecosystem are three overarching reasons why your CGT firm should invest in the Netherlands, says Invest in Holland. The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) works with the nationwide Invest in Holland network, which is a governmental organization. Marit Vink, project manager Life Sciences & Health at NFIA/Invest in Holland told delegates attending BPI Europe 2023, Amsterdam there is a “big focus” on cell and gene therapies (CGTs) in the country. The country is already…

May 16, 2023