ENCell, a Korean company specializing in cell and gene therapy CDMO services, said on Monday that it has successfully developed an adeno-associated virus (AAV) production process in collaboration with Sartorius Korea, a provider of bioprocessing solutions, equipment, and services for the biopharmaceutical industry. 

AAV is a viral vector system for gene delivery, valued for its low immunogenicity and inability to integrate into the genome, making it an essential tool for gene therapy. However, scaling up AAV production has presented significant technical challenges. Advanced technology and specialized expertise are essential for AAV production, noted an ENCell official.

Through this partnership, the two companies have developed an innovative process that ensures the safe and efficient large-scale production of gene therapies. 

ENCell, leveraging its expertise in AAV production, aims to reduce costs and enhance productivity in gene therapy manufacturing. Sartorius Korea contributed solutions for automation and optimization of large-scale production processes.

"Optimizing the AAV production process is a critical step toward accelerating the commercialization of gene therapies," said Chang Jong-wook, CEO of ENCell. "By working with Sartorius Korea, we have significantly enhanced production efficiency to bring the benefits of gene therapies to patients faster."