ViroCell to operate from a London facility to manufacture viral vectors for clinical trials

By Anna Brown

01 November 2023

Viral vector manufacturer ViroCell Biologics is leasing its first-ever facility — located at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London — so it can offer its services for clinical research.

ViroCell worked with the hospital for about 18 months to secure the GMP certificate for the London facility, which was granted in January this year, CEO John Hadden told Endpoints News in an interview. The viral vector license was granted two weeks ago.

The CDMO is gaining access to half of the hospital’s 6,400 square-foot manufacturing facility, the Zayed Centre for Research, which was established in 2019 and houses manufacturing capabilities for cell and gene therapies with seven specialist clean rooms, as per the release.

ViroCell is a CDMO focused on designing, manufacturing and supplying viral vectors globally to academics and biotech companies. It is offering production of lenti- and gamma-retroviruses, with adeno-associated virus vectors, to be offered next year.

The company has almost 70 staff members in London, with Traci Kyes moving on Oct. 4 from ThermoFisher to ViroCell as its new vice president of business development.

There is a lack of global capacity for viral vector production and supply, which has caused shortages of lentivirus and gamma-retro vectors for cell and gene therapies, Hadden explained to Endpoints.

“With respect to lentivirus and gamma retrovirus, they’re really difficult to make, and so that might be, in some ways, a barrier to market entry,” Hadden added. The market demand is divided into about 85% for lentiviruses and about 15% for gamma retroviruses, which are the main vectors for cell and gene therapy, he added.

ViroCell also designs the viral vectors because “in today’s market, we found that to be a resounding need,” Hadden explained. The company’s focus is to deliver vectors within six months, “so we’re hoping to differentiate in the market, not just based on design, but based on speed,” he added.