Cobra Biologics, Pall Corporation and the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult Win £1.5M Innovate UK Grant to Investigate Continuous Manufacturing for Gene Therapies

KEELE, England, PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. and LONDON, Nov. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cobra Biologics, an international contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with a focus on advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) has won a £1.5M shared grant from Innovate UK, the United Kingdom's innovation agency. Co-winners, Pall Corporation, a global leader in filtration, separation and purification, and the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, an independent research and technology organization focused on advancing the growth of the UK cell and gene therapy industry, will work with Cobra Biologics to investigate continuous manufacturing of adeno-associated virus (AAV) for gene therapy applications.  

"In light of the unprecedented clinical successes with a number of ATMPs, we are looking forward to working with Pall and the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult. Together we will innovative in-process analytical techniques and manufacturing approaches based on continuous chromatography platforms, to significantly increase process yields, and, in doing so, make these advanced therapies more accessible to patients," said Peter Coleman, Chief Executive Officer of Cobra Biologics.

"Yields for downstream processing of AAV are currently very low and the production process is costly in both time and consumables," explained Mario Philips, Vice President & General Manager of Pall Biotech. "With this project, we hope to advance the AAV purification process and affect a 25% or more step change in purification yields. The Pall Cadence™ BioSMB system will be investigated for its ability to increase yields and decrease cost, while using novel analytical procedures to enhance the purification process."

"Our shared vision is to take a major step towards continuous processing for gene therapy production. We each bring strengths and a unique perspective to this collaborative R&D project," added Keith Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult. "As we move forward, we will create a scalable continuous process that increases efficiencies in time and cost, to make commercialization of gene therapies safer, faster, and cheaper than ever before. We are excited to play a key role in increasing patient access to these potentially life-changing therapies and to further establish best practices in manufacturing."

The transition from batch to continuous chromatography will be planned and managed by all parties. The project began in September 2018.

About Cobra Biologics
Cobra Biologics is a leading international contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) providing biologics and pharmaceuticals for pre-clinical, clinical and commercial supply. Cobra has three GMP approved facilities in Sweden and the UK, each with expertise tailored to serving our customers around the world. We offer a broad range of integrated and stand-alone contract development and manufacturing services for clinical trials and the commercial market.

As a trusted provider and a key partner in the drug development and commercialization process, we take pride in our manufacturing excellence and comprehensive range of services to the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. For more information please visit: www.cobrabio.com

About Pall Corporation
Pall Corporation is a filtration, separation and purification leader, providing solutions to meet the critical fluid management needs of customers across the broad spectrum of life sciences and industry. Pall works with customers to advance health, safety and environmentally responsible technologies. The company's engineered products enable process and product innovation and minimize emissions and waste. Pall Corporation serves customers worldwide. For more information visit www.pall.com, or on YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

About the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult was established as an independent centre of excellence to advance the growth of the UK cell and gene therapy industry, by bridging the gap between scientific research and full-scale commercialisation. With over 170 experts focusing on cell and gene therapy technologies, it works with partners in academia and industry to ensure these life-changing therapies can be developed for use in health services throughout the world. It offers leading-edge capability, technology and innovation to enable companies to take products into clinical trials and provide clinical, process development, manufacturing, regulatory, health economics and market access expertise. Its aim is to make the UK the most compelling and logical choice for UK and international partners to develop and commercialise these advanced therapies. The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult works with Innovate UK. For more information, please visit www.ct.catapult.org.uk or visit www.gov.uk/innovate-uk.

Find Innovate UK
@innovateUK or www.gov.uk/government/organisations/innovate-uk

Pall Media Contacts
Mariann Kourafas
Director of Communications
+1-508-871-5469

White Matter Communications
Beth Willers
[email protected] 
+1-415-905-0324

SOURCE Pall Corporation

Related Links

http://www.pall.com