ViGeneron and WuXi Advanced Therapies Enter Strategic Manufacturing Partnership for Next-Generation Ophthalmic Gene Therapy

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Dec 01, 2020, 08:00 ET

PHILADELPHIA and MUNICH, Dec. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ViGeneron, a gene therapy company, and WuXi Advanced Therapies Inc. (WuXi ATU), a leading Contract, Testing, Development and Manufacturing Organization (CTDMO), today announced a strategic partnership to accelerate production for the clinical development of VG901, a next-generation ophthalmic gene therapy program.

ViGeneron's innovative gene therapy pipeline addresses ophthalmic diseases with high unmet medical needs. Its lead product VG901 targets a disease gene for Retinitis pigmentosa (RP), for which there is currently no approved treatment option. VG901 is developed from ViGeneron's proprietary next generation vgAAV vector platform that allows a superior transduction of retinal cells and intravitreal, a less invasive treatment administration.

WuXi ATU will accelerate the development of VG901 by manufacturing, testing and making available the clinical trial grade treatment while leveraging its trusted, world-class AAV Suspension and Plasmid DNA platforms.

"We are excited to partner with WuXi Advanced Therapies to access their integrated platforms, expertise and cGMP manufacturing capabilities to advance our ongoing development. We are well on track to kick off the manufacturing of our lead product, VG901, by close of 2020 to bring our innovative gene therapy into the clinic and to patients in need. Both parties aim to build a strategic partnership for long term success, which will enable us to work faster with greater predictability of supply and quality," said Dr. Caroline Man Xu, Co-founder & CEO of ViGeneron.

"We are proud to join with ViGeneron to advance this important work in ophthalmology," said Dr. David Chang, CEO of WuXi ATU. "VG901 has the potential to improve the lives of many patients suffering from reduced vision. Through this partnership, we will be able to provide more patients with faster and more reliable care to meet their unmet medical needs. Together we will bring this cutting edge solution to patients around the world and help overcome the many challenges that those with ophthalmic disorders face."

About ViGeneron
ViGeneron is dedicated to developing innovative gene therapies to treat ophthalmic diseases with high unmet medical need, as well as partnering with leading biopharmaceutical players in other disease areas. The company's pipeline is built on two proprietary adeno-associated virus (AAV) technology platforms. The first, vgAAV gene therapy vector platform, allows superior transduction efficiency and intravitreal, a less invasive treatment administration. The second, REVeRT vector platform, targets diseases caused by mutations in large genes. Privately-owned ViGeneron was founded in 2017 by a seasoned team with in-depth experience in AAV vector technology and clinical ophthalmic gene therapy programs and is located in Munich, Germany. For further information, please visit www.vigeneron.com

About WuXi AppTec
WuXi AppTec provides a broad portfolio of R&D and manufacturing services that enable companies in the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries worldwide to advance discoveries and deliver groundbreaking treatments to patients. As an innovation-driven and customer-focused company, WuXi AppTec helps our partners improve the productivity of advancing healthcare products through cost-effective and efficient, socially responsible and sustainable solutions – and has received ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) A Ratings from Morgan Stanley Capital International's since 2019. With industry-leading capabilities such as R&D and manufacturing for small molecule drugs, cell and gene therapies, and testing for medical devices, WuXi AppTec's open-access platform is enabling more than 4,100 collaborators from over 30 countries to improve the health of those in need – and to realize our vision that "every drug can be made and every disease can be treated." Please visit: www.wuxiapptec.com

About WuXi Advanced Therapies (ATU)
As the advanced therapies business unit of WuXi AppTec, WuXi Advanced Therapies is a Contract Testing, Development and Manufacturing Organization (CTDMO) that offers integrated platforms to transform the development, testing, manufacturing, and commercialization of cell, gene, and other advanced biopharmaceuticals. Our services and solutions accelerate time to market and support customer programs around the world. For more information, please visit www.advancedtherapies.com

SOURCE WuXi AppTec