Matica Biotechnology and Cirsium Biosciences Announce Adoption of Matica Open Access Platform to Accelerate Flexible AAV Manufacturing

Collaboration highlights open-access model enabling speed, flexibility, and freedom from
traditional CDMO constraints

COLLEGE STATION, Texas and SAN DIEGO, June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- **Matica Biotechnology, Inc. (Matica Bio), a leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) specializing in viral vector production, and Cirsium Biosciences ("Cirsium"), a biotechnology company leveraging novel plant science to reimagine AAV manufacturing, today announced that Cirsium has joined the Matica Open Access Platform to enable greater flexibility, transparency, and scalability in AAV development and manufacturing.

This milestone builds on the companies' existing collaboration, integrating Cirsium's plant-based AAV technology with Matica Bio's downstream and analytical expertise to improve efficiency and scalability in gene therapy manufacturing.

Unlike traditional CDMO engagement models that often impose rigid workflows, limited technology transfer, and long-term lock-in, the Matica Open Access Platform provides an open, modular, and partner-centric framework designed to give innovators full control over their programs while accelerating development timelines.

Through the Matica Open Access Platform, Cirsium gains access to:

• Flexible, non-exclusive manufacturing pathways aligned with its hybrid hub-and-spoke model
• Transparent process development and data access, enabling seamless knowledge transfer
• Interoperable technologies and partners, avoiding dependency compared to traditional CDMO platforms
• Accelerated scalability, from early development to commercial readiness

The adoption of the Matica Open Access Platform directly supports Cirsium's decentralized manufacturing strategy, which combines internal upstream plant-based production with external downstream partners to maximize flexibility and distribution.

"Cirsium's vision has always centered on flexibility and speed in AAV manufacturing," said Paul Kim, Chief Executive Officer of Matica Bio. "With the Matica Open Access Platform, we are extending that philosophy further, giving companies the freedom to design their own development journey without being constrained by traditional, closed CDMO models. This is about enabling innovation, not controlling it."

"Many platforms in this industry are built to retain customers rather than empower them," Kim added. "Matica Open Access Platform is fundamentally different; it is open by design, allowing clients to move, scale, and adapt as their programs evolve."

"Joining the Matica Open Access Platform is a natural extension of our mission and manufacturing model," said Dr. Daniel Gibbs, Chief Executive Officer of Cirsium Biosciences. "We founded Cirsium on the belief that the future of gene therapy depends on making production more scalable and accessible. Our platform was designed with that goal in mind, and partnerships like this are central to our progress from vision to reality."

The cost and complexity of AAV manufacturing remain key barriers to broader gene therapy access, and industry demand continues to grow for solutions that reduce timelines and increase scalability. By combining Cirsium's rapid, plant-based production technology with Matica's open access infrastructure, the companies aim to transform how gene therapies are developed and manufactured.

About Matica Biotechnology, Inc.
Matica Biotechnology is a viral vector Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) that leverages advanced technologies at its purpose-built cGMP facility. With industry-leading expertise in process development, assay development, and cGMP manufacturing, Matica Bio serves as a trusted partner, seamlessly supporting its clients with streamlined operations throughout every stage of projects. Collaborating across five Matica sites worldwide, Matica Bio delivers excellence in the CDMO domain through innovations such as MatiMax™ proprietary cell lines, in-line process monitoring, and single-use technologies. Visit www.maticabio.com for more information.

About Cirsium Biosciences
Cirsium Biosciences is an innovative biotech company in San Diego, California, redefining AAV production with a novel plant-based technology. Operating at the intersection of biotechnology and high-tech agriculture, the company is addressing fundamental constraints in viral vector production, including scalability, consistency, and cost. Cirsium partners with developers and industry partners across the gene therapy ecosystem, seeking to enable overcoming manufacturing challenges, support program scale-up, and enable broader future access to gene therapies. Discover more at www.cirsiumbio.com.

Cirsium Biosciences' Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements related to the potential capabilities and benefits of Cirsium's technology and the expected impact on AAV production and gene therapy development. These statements do not guarantee future performance or development but are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Forward-looking statements in this press release may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: our ability to develop, manufacture, and commercialize AAV vector-based gene therapies; the scalability and reliability of our AAV production platform and manufacturing processes; the design, timing, progress, and results of our preclinical studies and clinical trials; the expected therapeutic benefits, safety profile, and durability of expression of our gene therapy programs; the potential market size and commercial opportunity for our product candidates; our estimates of expenses, capital requirements, and future revenues; our ability to obtain, maintain, and enforce intellectual property protection for our proprietary technology; and the potential impact of legislation, regulations, and regulatory actions on our business. 

These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances, or any other reason after the date of this press release.

SOURCE Matica Biotechnology, Inc.