Univercells Technologies, acquired in June 2023 by Donaldson, says that the Gene Therapy Program at the University of Pennsylvania (GTP) is expanding its evaluation agreement aimed at determining the scalability of GTP’s gene therapy product manufacturing using Univercells Technologies’ bioreactors.

GTP is an academic program led by James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, and focused on genetic medicines. Wilson serves as the Rose H. Weiss Professor and Director of the Orphan Disease Center and a professor of medicine and pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine.

James Wilson
James M. Wilson, MD, PhD [University of Pennsylvania]

GTP seeks to make gene therapies for rare diseases accessible worldwide. This agreement covers GTP’s evaluation of the commercial-series scale-X™ nitro 600 m2 bioreactor, with the goal of substantially increasing production per batch and potentially reducing cost of goods sold (COGS).

“We are honored to extend our collaborative work with GTP in evaluating the scalability of gene therapy production,” said Mathias Garny, general manager at Univercells Technologies.

“Our mission aligns closely with GTP’s vision of making gene therapies more accessible globally, and we are committed to supporting their efforts with our innovative bioprocessing technologies.”

Univercells Technologies developed the scale-X bioreactor with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Grand Challenge initiative. Originally designed to lower the cost of viral vaccine production for critical public health vaccines, the scale-X bioreactor is now being applied to enable viral vector accessibility for gene therapies.

bioreactors
Univercells Technologies’ scale-X™ nitro 200 m2 and the scale-X nitro 600 m2, which is the instrument covered under the agreement between Univercells Technologies and the University of Pennsylvania Gene Therapy Program. [Univercells Technologies]

“Our hope is that Univercells Technologies will improve the efficiency of AAV vector manufacturing and help play a role in decreasing costs and enabling access through more affordable prices in the future,” said Wilson.

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