ViroCell Biologics announces pivotal partnership with Great Ormond Street

Innovation-driven viral vector manufacturer, ViroCell Biologics, and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust (GOSH), have announced a new partnership that aims to dislodge the gene and cell therapy bottleneck.

ViroCell is addressing the global viral vector supply demand imbalance that constrains the manufacture of novel cell and gene therapies. The company focuses exclusively on the design and GMP manufacture of viral vectors and gene modified cells for clinical trials.

Viral vectors are high-value delivery vehicles used to make cell and gene therapies, and their availability and efficacy determines the clinical success of the treatment. ViroCell focuses particularly on where the manufacturing bottleneck is most prevalent – the zone between pre-clinical concept and pivotal clinical trials.

ViroCell’s goal is to be the global viral vector supplier of choice during the translational phase of development of novel cell and gene therapies.

The development of the vectors will take place in GOSH’s Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children. With more than 252,000 outpatient and 43,000 inpatient visits every year, the hospital’s research capabilities and treatment options give hope to children from across the UK with rare and complex conditions.

Matthew Shaw, CEO at GOSH, commented: “We are exceedingly pleased to be partnering with ViroCell to accelerate the transition of discovery science into the clinic and expand access to viral vectors. We see this as a key to unlocking the innovation engine of the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and its academic collaborators, ultimately delivering better outcomes for patients.”

As part of the partnership with GOSH, ViroCell will more than double the UK’s lentivirus vector manufacturing capacity for clinical trials in 2022.