- Minaris has added a dedicated Viral Vectors business unit, restructuring its operations around Cell Therapies, Viral Vectors, and Advanced Testing.
- The new model brings specialized development, manufacturing, quality, and testing capabilities together under one organization while allowing customers to engage with one or multiple business units.
Minaris, a global cell and gene therapy (CGT) CDMO and multimodal contract testing organization, has added a dedicated Viral Vectors business unit as part of a new three-business model. The company will now operate through Minaris Cell Therapies, Minaris Viral Vectors, and Minaris Advanced Testing, with the structure intended to align with customer needs and support its long-term strategy.
Minaris Cell Therapies will be led by Dr. Luciana Mansolelli and brings more than 25 years of cell therapy development and manufacturing experience across autologous and allogeneic programs. Minaris Viral Vectors, led by Dr. Eytan Abraham, will support viral vector technologies, development, and manufacturing for gene therapy and genetically modified cell therapy programs, including in vivo lentiviral programs. Minaris Advanced Testing, led by Dr. Ilya Koltover, provides GMP biosafety, viral clearance, potency, and analytical testing services for biologics, vaccines, and advanced therapies.
The Viral Vectors business combines more than 10 years of viral vector process and analytical development, technology transfer, GMP manufacturing, and scalable production strategies. Its technology portfolio includes plasmids and cell lines developed through OXGENE. Viral vector CDMO services are centralized at Minaris’ Philadelphia site, while OXGENE is based in the UK.
The Advanced Testing business brings 40 years of testing experience, while Minaris Cell Therapies supports customers from early development through clinical and commercial manufacturing. The company said customers can work with one business unit or across multiple units depending on their program requirements. “The addition of a dedicated Viral Vectors business unit allows us to bring greater focus to an area that is increasingly important to cell and gene therapy developers,” said Orla Cloak, Chief Executive Officer at Minaris.
Minaris said the new structure is particularly focused on supporting the development of in vivo gene therapies, which require viral vector development, scalable manufacturing, analytical and biosafety testing, and quality and regulatory capabilities. The company was formed through the 2025 acquisitions of Minaris Regenerative Medicine and WuXi Advanced Therapies by U.S. private equity firm Altaris.
