CELL AND GENE THERAPY, INDUSTRIAL IMPACT
Center for Breakthrough Medicines | February 27, 2023
Center for Breakthrough Medicines (CBM), a leading contract development and manufacturing organization dedicated to addressing the challenges of commercializing cell and gene therapies, and Virion Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech firm focused on developing accessible and adaptable CD8+ T cell-based technologies for cancer and infectious diseases, have recently announced a strategic collaboration agreement.
CBM will partner and manufacture with Virion Therapeutics on their checkpoint modifier clinical development programs, including the First-in-Human VRON-0200 immunotherapy, designed to treat chronic Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection.
The collaboration aims to develop VRON-0200, a pan-genotypic, global therapeutic immunotherapy that targets chronic HBV infection, which affects over 295 million people worldwide. HBV impairs CD8+ T cells, which results in the loss of viral control. VRON-0200 induces a broad CD8+ T cell response, which includes responses to the core and pol regions not generally induced by the infection. Therefore, VRON-0200 is designed to stimulate a highly functional immune response to help clear the virus.
CBM's Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer Audrey Greenberg commented, "Virion is working to revolutionize the immunotherapy treatment landscape, and we are honored to partner with them on this bold mission as we share a common goal – to create a future free of cancer and chronic infectious diseases." She further emphasized, "We have assembled best-in-field technical teams, supported by industry-leading product and process development, manufacturing, and testing capabilities, all located within a single, world-class manufacturing facility. We look forward to working with Virion to bring their life-saving therapies to the patients who need them most, as quickly as possible."
(Source – PR Newswire)
About Center for Breakthrough Medicines
The Center for Breakthrough Medicines is a pioneering contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) situated in the center of "Cellicon Valley," with a focus on cell and gene therapies. It offers an all-in-one solution to expedite the speed of delivering advanced treatments to the market. Its customer-oriented approach, combined with a culture that prioritizes the needs of patients, guarantees dependable and high-quality process and analytical development, GMP testing, viral vector manufacturing, plasmid production, cell therapy bioprocessing and cell banking services throughout the entire life cycle of a product.
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INDUSTRIAL IMPACT, MEDICAL
Molecular Assemblies, Inc. | March 15, 2023
On March 14, 2023, Molecular Assemblies, Inc., a leading life sciences company, made a significant announcement regarding its enzymatic DNA synthesis technology. The company has successfully shipped the first enzymatically synthesized oligonucleotides to leading researchers in biotechnology, academic, and synthetic biology. The capacity to synthesize lengthy, extremely pure DNA promptly utilizing a proprietary Fully Enzymatic Synthesis (FES) technology solves critical unmet demands in DNA synthesis, thus allowing demanding and high-value applications such as CRISPR gene editing.
Long, highly pure single-stranded oligonucleotides are critical in various applications, such as CRISPR gene editing tools used in therapeutic development, research discovery and protein engineering. However, the availability of desired sequences required to make advanced edits has been a significant bottleneck.
Molecular Assemblies' Key Client Program gives chosen researchers priority access to lengthy and customized oligonucleotides synthesized utilizing the company's FES technology. Thanks to this initiative, customers are expected to speed up their research in CRISPR gene editing and other applications needing long oligonucleotides. In addition, key customers can give input to shape the future of enzymatic DNA synthesis. Molecular Assemblies plans to present more details about the technology at the SynBioBeta 2023 conference in Oakland, California, from May 23-25.
Molecular Assemblies' President and CEO Michael J. Kamdar commented, "With the achievement of this significant commercial milestone, we are proving that fully enzymatic synthesis can deliver the DNA that customers want today, without compromise," He further emphasized, "Customers want application-ready DNA, unrestricted by length and sequence-complexity, which we know is essential to power new breakthroughs in scientific research and accelerate innovation for many industries, including next generation medicines and technologies."
(Source – PR Newswire)
About Molecular Assemblies, Inc.
Molecular Assemblies, Inc. is a leading company dedicated to developing enzymatic DNA synthesis technology to address key challenges in DNA synthesis. Its proprietary Fully Enzymatic Synthesis (FES) technology aims to provide an innovative solution to produce long, pure DNA quickly, efficiently, and sustainably. As a result, molecular Assemblies' FES technology has the potential to transform the field of DNA synthesis by enabling the production of high-quality, long oligonucleotides. This development has significant implications for research discovery, therapeutic development, and protein engineering, particularly in the context of CRISPR gene editing. The company was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in San Diego, California. It has received significant funding from various sources, including venture capital firms, angel investors, and government agencies.
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MEDTECH, INDUSTRIAL IMPACT
SOPHiA GENETICS | March 01, 2023
On February 28, 2023, SOPHiA GENETICS, a leading cloud-native software solutions provider in the healthcare space, announced that Synergy Oncology, a part of Synergy Laboratories based in Mobile, Alabama, will utilize SOPHiA DDM™ to develop a new cancer profiling solution. Synergy Oncology is a specialist in innovative platforms that improve patient care.
The use of SOPHiA DDM™ for Hereditary Cancers Solution in Synergy Oncology's state-of-the-art laboratory technologies will lead to the launch of Totality, a comprehensive end-to-end solution for tumor profiling that will assist clinical studies, cancer research and patient care.
Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is commonly used to detect biomarkers for hereditary cancers, but the resulting datasets are vast and complex, requiring sophisticated analysis. The SOPHiA DDM™ for Hereditary Cancers Solution leverages machine learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) with patented technologies to evaluate raw NGS data, simplifying interpretation and expediting reporting. As Synergy Laboratories seeks to expand into other oncology offerings, the SOPHiA DDM™ platform could serve as a one-stop solution.
Synergy's new product, Totality, examines genes from solid tumor tissue and, by using SOPHiA DDM™ for Hereditary Cancers, provides physicians with a consolidated report that matches detected molecular alterations with clinical trials and FDA-approved therapies. By combining SOPHiA DDM™ for Hereditary Cancers with Synergy Oncology's technology, experts will be able to analyze and interpret findings from NGS data confidently, transforming high-quality data into valuable insights for researchers and care providers.
Synergy Oncology provides the most comprehensive NGS kit of its kind, including hereditary testing, liquid biopsy testing, and myeloid malignancies. The combination of Synergy Oncology and SOPHiA GENETICS technology will expand Synergy's oncology portfolio while helping to further the U.S. oncology market.
About SOPHiA GENETICS
SOPHiA GENETICS is a leading cloud-native software solutions provider in the healthcare space. It aims to establish data-driven medicine as the standard of care for life sciences research. The company combines expertise in life sciences, data computing and medical disciplines to bring data analytics solutions to market. SOPHiA GENETICS achieve its mission through the global adoption of SOPHiA AI, which uses pattern recognition, statistical inference and machine learning to provide equal benefits to all users. SOPHiA AI also encourages expert knowledge sharing for a sustainable impact on future patients. The company believes digital technologies are the key to unlocking the era of Data-Driven Medicine, where secure data pooling and knowledge sharing will be precious for patients. The company also focuses on combining the first two pillars of Data-Driven Medicine, Radiomics and Genomics, to ensure that the data used to help patients today will also benefit tomorrow's patients.
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