Elpida Therapeutics

Trial participants with Spastic Paraplegia 50 (SPG50) and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 4J (CMT4J) could benefit from this joint effort to manufacture new gene therapies that utilize adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) to deliver corrected genesSAN DIEGO, Sept. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Viralgen Vector Core (Viralgen) and Elpida Therapeutics (Elpida Tx) have partnered to manufacture gene therapies for use in clinical trials sponsored by Elpida Tx involving patients living with SPG50 or CMT4J. It is anticipated that these trials will take place at various sites in North America and Europe and will explore potential safety and efficacy of the new treatments to be manufactured, as well as potential quality of life improvements. SPG50 is a rare disease caused by mutations in the adaptor protein complex-4 mu 1 subunit (AP4M1), which is a protein responsible for intracellular vesicle trafficking, specifically the sorting and transport of membrane proteins within cells. The disease symptoms of children with SPG50 begin with low muscle tone, microcephaly (small head) and epilepsy, then progress to affect the entire body, resulting in intellectual disabilities and movement/neurological abnormalities. This rare disease is known to affect only around 90 people worldwide.1 Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 4J (CMT4J) is an autosomal recessive, potentially severe form of CMT disease caused by mutations of the lipid phosphatase FIG4, a protein involved in the regulation of phosphoinositide lipids and membrane trafficking within cells. The same CMT4J genotype can present symptoms ranging from mild clinical signs to severe disability.2 The partnership between Viralgen and Elpida Tx is expected to enable the efficient manufacture of the adeno-associated vector serotype 9 (AAV9) based therapies for use in Elpida Tx's anticipated multi-site clinical trials. Viralgen will manufacture these therapies using its production process with the Pro10TM cell line, which is exclusively licensed from AskBio and has been found to increase scalability, performance, and yield of AAV therapies.3 Terry Pirovolakis, Founder and CEO of Elpida Tx, remarks that "Viralgen is truly an amazing partner, demonstrating their genuine commitment to advance potential therapies for impacted patients. We feel so grateful and honored to be working with such an incredible partner." About Elpida Therapeutics Elpida Tx's mission aims to address the current significant unmet medical needs of patients with ultra-rare diseases. Through leveraging scientific advancements and the now well-established safety and understanding of certain gene therapies, Elpida Tx aims to put cures in reach of families and children who desperately and urgently need them. Elpida Tx's business model focuses on partnerships that promote efficiency and the chance to treat a greater number of patients, while being self-sustaining and replicable. Elpida Tx specifically focuses on advancing programs that traditional biotech companies find difficult to bring through to completion. The company pipeline includes programs that were deprioritized by biotech companies or that did not receive biotech investment to advance due to small patient populations, but which have excellent scientific data on which to build a program and springboard the science and opportunity. Elpida Tx plans to incorporate three more CNS programs into its initial program pipeline within the next six months through an application process designed for academic institutions and foundations. About Viralgen Vector CoreViralgen is a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) founded in 2017 and exists as an independently operated subsidiary of AskBio, which is wholly owned and independently operated as a subsidiary of Bayer AG. As a manufacturer of Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) certified AAV, Viralgen offers the Pro10™ based suspension manufacturing platform, a technology licensed from AskBio and developed by Chief Technical Officer Josh Grieger, PhD, and Co-Founder R. Jude Samulski, PhD, at University of North Carolina. The Pro10™ platform has been found to increase scalability, performance, and yield of AAV therapies 3. Located in Spain, in the Gipuzkoa Science and Technology Park, Viralgen produces AAV gene therapy treatments for pharmaceutical and biotech companies with the aim of accelerating the delivery of new treatments that may improve patients' lives. The company's clinical facilities have four cGMP manufacturing suites, with 250-liter and 500-liter bioreactors. In 2020, Viralgen expanded within the Scientific Park by constructing a new building with three modules for large-scale commercial manufacturing. Each module of the state-of-the-art space includes three cGMP suites with a manufacturing capacity of >2,000 liters. The first module, which includes a suite dedicated to fully automated fill and finish operations, has received cGMP certification by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS) as part of the EMA network. For more information, visit viralgenvc.com. References:1 J Clin Invest. 2023 May 15; 133(10): e170226. 10.1172/JCI1702262 Brain. 2011 Jul; 134(7): 1959-1971. 10.1093/brain/awr1483 Mol Ther. 2016 Feb;24(2):287-297. doi: 10.1038/mt.2015.187. Epub 2015 Oct 6. For more information and interviews, please contact:Priscilla Assumpçãopriscilla@sg-branding.com This information is provided by Reach, the non-regulatory press release distribution service of RNS, part of the London Stock Exchange. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

Viralgen Vector Core and Elpida Therapeutics partner to manufacture gene therapy medicines for anticipated Spastic Paraplegia 50 (SPG50) and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 4J (CMT4J) clinical trials Trial participants with Spastic Paraplegia 50 (SPG50) and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 4J (CMT4J) could benefit from this joint effort to manufacture new gene therapies that utilize adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) to deliver corrected genes SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN / ACCESSWIRE / September 28, 2023 / Viralgen Vector Core (Viralgen) and Elpida Therapeutics (Elpida Tx) have partnered to manufacture gene therapies for use in clinical trials sponsored by Elpida Tx involving patients living with SPG50 or CMT4J. It is anticipated that these trials will take place at various sites in North America and Europe and will explore potential safety and efficacy of the new treatments to be manufactured, as well as potential quality of life improvements. SPG50 is a rare disease caused by mutations in the adaptor protein complex-4 mu 1 subunit (AP4M1), which is a protein responsible for intracellular vesicle trafficking, specifically the sorting and transport of membrane proteins within cells. The disease symptoms of children with SPG50 begin with low muscle tone, microcephaly (small head) and epilepsy, then progress to affect the entire body, resulting in intellectual disabilities and movement/neurological abnormalities. This rare disease is known to affect only around 90 people worldwide.1 Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 4J (CMT4J) is an autosomal recessive, potentially severe form of CMT disease caused by mutations of the lipid phosphatase FIG4, a protein involved in the regulation of phosphoinositide lipids and membrane trafficking within cells. The same CMT4J genotype can present symptoms ranging from mild clinical signs to severe disability.2 The partnership between Viralgen and Elpida Tx is expected to enable the efficient manufacture of the adeno-associated vector serotype 9 (AAV9) based therapies for use in Elpida Tx's anticipated multi-site clinical trials. Viralgen will manufacture these therapies using its production process with the Pro10TM cell line, which is exclusively licensed from AskBio and has been found to increase scalability, performance, and yield of AAV therapies.3 Terry Pirovolakis, Founder and CEO of Elpida Tx, remarks that "Viralgen is truly an amazing partner, demonstrating their genuine commitment to advance potential therapies for impacted patients. We feel so grateful and honored to be working with such an incredible partner." About Elpida Therapeutics Elpida Tx' s mission aims to address the current significant unmet medical needs of patients with ultra-rare diseases. Through leveraging scientific advancements and the now well-established safety and understanding of certain gene therapies, Elpida Tx aims to put cures in reach of families and children who desperately and urgently need them. Elpida Tx's business model focuses on partnerships that promote efficiency and the chance to treat a greater number of patients, while being self-sustaining and replicable. Elpida Tx specifically focuses on advancing programs that traditional biotech companies find difficult to bring through to completion. The company pipeline includes programs that were deprioritized by biotech companies or that did not receive biotech investment to advance due to small patient populations, but which have excellent scientific data on which to build a program and springboard the science and opportunity. Elpida Tx plans to incorporate three more CNS programs into its initial program pipeline within the next six months through an application process designed for academic institutions and foundations. About Viralgen Vector Core Viralgen is a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) founded in 2017 and exists as an independently operated subsidiary of AskBio, which is wholly owned and independently operated as a subsidiary of Bayer AG. As a manufacturer of Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) certified AAV, Viralgen offers the Pro10™ based suspension manufacturing platform, a technology licensed from AskBio and developed by Chief Technical Officer Josh Grieger, PhD, and Co-Founder R. Jude Samulski, PhD, at University of North Carolina. The Pro10™ platform has been found to increase scalability, performance, and yield of AAV therapies 3. Located in Spain, in the Gipuzkoa Science and Technology Park, Viralgen produces AAV gene therapy treatments for pharmaceutical and biotech companies with the aim of accelerating the delivery of new treatments that may improve patients' lives. The company's clinical facilities have four cGMP manufacturing suites, with 250-liter and 500-liter bioreactors. In 2020, Viralgen expanded within the Scientific Park by constructing a new building with three modules for large-scale commercial manufacturing. Each module of the state-of-the-art space includes three cGMP suites with a manufacturing capacity of >2,000 liters. The first module, which includes a suite dedicated to fully automated fill and finish operations, has received cGMP certification by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS) as part of the EMA network. For more information, visit viralgenvc.com. References: 1 J Clin Invest. 2023 May 15; 133(10): e170226. 10.1172/JCI170226 2 Brain. 2011 Jul; 134(7): 1959-1971. 10.1093/brain/awr148 3 Mol Ther. 2016 Feb;24(2):287-297. doi: 10.1038/mt.2015.187. Epub 2015 Oct 6. For more information and interviews, please contact: Priscilla Assumpção priscilla@sg-branding.com This information is provided by Reach, the non-regulatory press release distribution service of RNS, part of the London Stock Exchange. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit . SOURCE: Viralgen Vector Core View source version on accesswire.com:

The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health's gene therapy consortium has almost $100 million in funding. The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health has added eight rare diseases to its gene therapy-focused clinical trial portfolio, betting that a public-private partnership can grease an oft-broken funding model.  The new priorities announced Tuesday are grouped under the foundation’s Bespoke Gene Therapy Consortium, a collaboration with biotechs, pharmas and non-profits to accelerate drug development for rare diseases. The eight diseases being added to the portfolio are: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 4J Congenital Hereditary Endothelial Dystrophy Morquio A Syndrome Multiple Sulfatase Deficiency NPHP5 Retinal Degeneration Propionic Acidemia (PCCB) Retinitis pigmentosa 45 Spastic paraplegia 50 The foundation says one of the objectives of the consortium, beyond developing new drugs, is accelerating the regulatory process by “establishing minimum standards for manufacturing, product analytical testing and pre-clinical testing.” “As the parent of a child with a rare disease, it has been a long and difficult journey to research and test a safe, effective treatment,” said CEO of Elpida Therapeutics Terry Pirovolakis in a release. “The BGTC offers potential pathways and hope for children with no other options.”  Elpida is the only biotech included among the latest institutions leading the clinical trials selected by the foundation, working in collaboration with the University of Texas Southern on a treatment for spastic paraplegia 50 and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 4J. The other research institutions selected are the University of California, Los Angeles, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, National Human Genome Research Institute and Nemour’s Children’s Health.  “We were specifically trying to avoid any commercial interests,” said Brad Garrison, senior project manager of the consortium in an interview with Fierce Biotech. “Companies weren't strictly ineligible, but they would have to make a compelling case that they have no viable funding mechanism.”  The foundation reports having almost $100 million in funding, across 11 NIH institutes, 12 biopharmas and 10 nonprofits. When asked what the foundation’s end goal is, Garrison said that’s, “the million-dollar question.” The consortium’s primary goal was funding development through phase 1/2 trials and further discussions will guide future access.  “We've talked about different options, but I don't think anything is firm or finalized,” said Garrison. “And it might depend on the scenario for each disease and who has IP rights and things like that.” Some ideas have included launching a spin-off nonprofit to further develop the treatments or allow manufacturers the right of first refusal to take products forward, Garrison said, but nothing has been formally decided.