VintaBio bags $64m to ease viral vector bottleneck

The $64 million in funding has supported the opening of VintaBio’s cell and gene therapy (CGT) facility in Philadelphia, US.

VintaBio’s $64 million funding round was led by Decheng Capital, and the investment supported the development of the contract development manufacturing organization’s (CDMO’s) 22,500 square-foot Philadelphia plant, which has been designed specifically to streamline CGT development and production.

“Over half of the funding has gone toward the facility, which includes not just the infrastructure but also the laboratories” David Radspinner, CEO of VintaBio told BioProcess Insider.

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To ease the viral vector bottleneck, the firm will initially “focus on well-proven adherent technology and [is] actively looking at improved productivity and yield in both adherent and suspension technology.”

The facility has approximately 20 employees with an aim of doubling this number by the end of this year. According to Radspinner, Philadelphia provides access to “a diverse array of experts” in the region.

Moreover, “its close proximity to international markets positions it as an ideal base for supporting the industry. With its well-developed infrastructure and resources, the Philadelphia Navy Yard serves as an excellent hub for innovative research and development.”

Why VintaBio?

Radspinner has nearly ten years of experience in the life sciences space and has joined VintaBio from ILC Dover, a New Mountain Capital portfolio company. He has previously worked for companies including Cytiva, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Eli Lilly, and Sanofi.

“There are no commercially available facilities designed and built specifically for cell and gene therapy CDMO services that can also claim the decades of foundational viral vector experience the VintaBio team has, and that’s what attracted me to join the company,” said Radspinner.

The CDMO was founded by Junwei Sun and Shangzhen Zhou, who developed the first viral vectors used for life-saving therapies, including the first two Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved gene therapies. Zhou said he co-founded VintaBio with the aim of ensuring that viral vectors could never prevent someone from receiving treatment and to reach a larger volume of patients in need of the therapies.

“Shangzhen and Junwei have played key roles developing the very first cell and gene therapies, giving us unparalleled insights into how we can leverage viral vectors to enable similarly impactful therapies across the life sciences spectrum,” Radspinner said.

According to the firm, the facility has been custom-built and is now open and accepting customer orders.