How Aldevron and Oxford Genetics have come together to advance CAR-T development
An interview with James Brown, VP Corporate Development, Aldevron:
We saw the recent announcement of Aldevron and Oxford Genetics’ collaboration. Can you tell us a little bit more about the new offering?
We are offering a new product, pALD Lenti, the complete set of plasmids to produce lentiviral vectors. Oxford Genetics developed these plasmids which are optimized to produce high-titer, high-infectivity lentivirus. These plasmids are available as in-stock products for research and clinical applications. Aldevron provides the products royalty-free, with no future payments after purchase by clients.
What do you see as the major benefits of these “in-stock” plasmids, when considering advancing CAR-T development?
Custom manufacture of plasmid DNA for clinical and commercial viral vector production can take months. The availability of these plasmids immediately reduces the production timeline for lentiviral vectors. Aldevron provides a consistent supply of packaging plasmids for lentiviral vectors and the helper plasmid for AAV vectors, reducing the supply chain risks for development and commercial production.
With manufacturing capacity a huge bottleneck in the CAR-T field, particularly in late stage developments, will the plasmids be available for commercial use?
Yes, the plasmids are available for all applications, from discovery research through commercial production. The in-stock availability of the pALD Lenti plasmids help our clients accelerate solutions for some of the world’s greatest healthcare challenges.
The partnership between Aldevron and Oxford Genetics is a very good fit and provides true benefit to the industry.
It’s clearly an exciting collaboration between two very reputable companies. How did the partnership come about and what is it that both parties bringing to the table?
Oxford Genetics has developed expertise in lentiviral vector production and optimized the overall system. Aldevron has more than 20 years of expertise in plasmid DNA production and, with its new 70,000 sq-ft manufacturing facility, brings the scale and quality that enables companies to rapidly manufacture the key element in CAR-T therapy. The partnership between Aldevron and Oxford Genetics is a very good fit and provides true benefit to the industry.
What are Aldevron’s future plans to continue supporting the CAR-T industry?
Aldevron will continue to innovate both in manufacturing nucleic acids and other biologics as well as develop new products that will further enable the field. We will enhance our reputation as a world-leading CDMO and expand our services and product lines to provide clients with the materials they need at all stages of development. Aldevron will forge close partnerships with our clients in CAR-T to become the basis for the breakthroughs they are making in genetic medicine.