- Apertura Gene Therapy and Viralgen have entered a manufacturing collaboration to support gene therapy programs using the TfR1 CapX AAV capsid.
- The partnership aims to enable efficient scale-up and transition from research to clinical development using Viralgen’s CDMO capabilities.
Apertura Gene Therapy has entered into a strategic manufacturing collaboration with Viralgen, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), to support gene therapy programs based on its TfR1 CapX AAV capsid. The collaboration is intended to provide Apertura licensees with access to plasmid supply and integrated AAV manufacturing services through Viralgen’s platform.
The agreement focuses on enabling the scale-up of TfR1 CapX-based therapies and facilitating the transition from research to clinical development. Viralgen will provide contract manufacturing support, including plasmid production and Master Cell Bank (MCB) creation, as part of its integrated AAV services.
TfR1 CapX is designed to bind to human Transferrin Receptor 1 and cross the blood-brain barrier, enabling delivery to the central nervous system. According to the companies, the capsid has demonstrated selective targeting of CNS tissues, including neurons and astrocytes, in preclinical testing conducted by multiple groups.
“We expect to see multiple Apertura partners advance programs using TfR1 CapX into the clinic this year and next, and this collaboration with Viralgen is designed to facilitate the advancement of novel therapies leveraging TfR1 CapX.”
Diego Garzón, Ph.D., Chief Business Officer at Apertura
Viralgen stated that it has scaled up manufacturing for TfR1 CapX and has deployed its AAV platform across more than 1,500 batches. The collaboration is structured to support clinical manufacturing planning and regulatory engagement as Apertura advances its gene therapy programs.
