WuXi ATU Announces Launch of TESSA™ Technology to Improve Scalability and Accessibility of Cell and Gene Therapies

PHILADELPHIA, March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- WuXi Advanced Therapies (WuXi ATU), a wholly owned subsidiary of WuXi AppTec, today announced the launch of Tetracycline-Enabled Self-Silencing Adenovirus (TESSA™). This technology is a state-of-the-art novel process for transfection-free, scalable manufacture of adeno-associated virus (AAV) at Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) grade. Developed by OXGENE in the United Kingdom, a WuXi Advanced Therapies company, TESSA™ will expedite AAV manufacturing and significantly reduce the cost for manufacturing cell and gene therapies, enabling global customers to deliver more accessible ground-breaking therapeutics to patients as quickly as possible.

AAV vector is a popular tool for the delivery of gene therapies in diseases such as haemophilia and Alzheimer's. Efficient processes for manufacturing AAV on a large scale are critical to meeting increasing industry demands. TESSA™ vectors can meet the scalability challenges of AAV production, which has significant implications for expanding patient access to these novel therapeutics.

The new data published in Nature Communications supports the benefits of this technology. It highlights that in the same manufacturing volume, TESSA™ vectors produced 10 times more AAV than plasmid-based manufacture, producing enough material to treat ten times the number of patients.

"The TESSA™ system is a game changer for the manufacture of AAV and the advancement of cell and gene therapies to benefit patients." said Dr. Ryan Cawood, Chief Scientific Officer of WuXi ATU. "By improving scalability, reducing process complexity and lowering the costs of gene therapy manufacture, TESSA™ will better enable our global partners to develop and deliver life-saving gene therapies faster to more patients in need."

As a Contract Testing Development and Manufacturing Organization (CTDMO) with operations globally, WuXi ATU's unique business model integrates powerful testing capabilities with its advanced therapies' process development and manufacturing platforms, such as TESSA™ technology for AAV manufacturing and Lenti stable solutions for lentiviral manufacturing. This allows all assay development, biosafety, viral clearance and product release testing to be completed in-house, shortening customers' timelines for the approval of advanced therapies.

About WuXi Advanced Therapies (WuXi ATU)

As the advanced therapies business unit of WuXi AppTec, WuXi Advanced Therapies is a Contract Testing, Development and Manufacturing Organization (CTDMO) that offers integrated platforms to transform the discovery, development, testing, manufacturing, and commercialization of cell and gene therapies. Our services and solutions accelerate time to market and support customer programs around the world. For more information, please visit https://www.advancedtherapies.com

About WuXi AppTec

As a global company with operations across Asia, Europe, and North America, WuXi AppTec provides a broad portfolio of R&D and manufacturing services that enable global pharmaceutical and healthcare industry to advance discoveries and deliver groundbreaking treatments to patients. Through its unique business models, WuXi AppTec's integrated, end-to-end services include chemistry drug CRDMO (Contract Research, Development and Manufacturing Organization), biology discovery, preclinical testing and clinical research services, cell and gene therapies CTDMO (Contract Testing, Development and Manufacturing Organization), helping customers improve the productivity of advancing healthcare products through cost-effective and efficient solutions. WuXi AppTec received AA ESG rating from MSCI in 2021 and its open-access platform is enabling more than 5,700 collaborators from over 30 countries to improve the health of those in need – and to realize the vision that "every drug can be made and every disease can be treated."

SOURCE WuXi AppTec