Skip to main content
Premium Trial:

Request an Annual Quote

GenScript, Avectas Partner on Cell Therapy Manufacturing

NEW YORK – GenScript and Ireland's Avectas said on Tuesday that they're partnering to develop a non-viral cell therapy manufacturing process.

Under the terms of the agreement, their research teams will apply Avectas' Solupore technology to permeabilize target cell membranes to deliver GenScript's GenCRISPR single guide RNA, CRISPR-Cas9 protein, and GenExact single-stranded DNA homology-directed repair templates.

"By combining Avectas' cell engineering technology and know-how with GenScript's expertise in synthetic long oligo production, the partnership aims to demonstrate a novel and efficient solution for cell therapy manufacturing and to improve editing efficiency and cell viability over traditional delivery methods," the firms said in a statement.

"We expect this method will provide our customers with more complete solutions for efficient gene editing using our GenCRISPR sgRNA and ss/dsDNA HDR templates," Ray Chen, president of GenScript USA Life Science Group, added.

GenScript, a Piscataway, New Jersey-based synthetic DNA maker, is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In May 2021, the firm licensed the ERS Genomics CRISPR-Cas9 patent portfolio, based on IP held by Emmanuelle Charpentier, one of the pioneers of CRISPR genome editing.

Avectas offers Solupore, a cell engineering technology that delivers payloads to cells by diffusion across a permeabilized membrane. 

The Scan

Positive Framing of Genetic Studies Can Spark Mistrust Among Underrepresented Groups

Researchers in Human Genetics and Genomics Advances report that how researchers describe genomic studies may alienate potential participants.

Small Study of Gene Editing to Treat Sickle Cell Disease

In a Novartis-sponsored study in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that a CRISPR-Cas9-based treatment targeting promoters of genes encoding fetal hemoglobin could reduce disease symptoms.

Gut Microbiome Changes Appear in Infants Before They Develop Eczema, Study Finds

Researchers report in mSystems that infants experienced an enrichment in Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and Finegoldia and a depletion of Bacteroides before developing eczema.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment Specificity Enhanced With Stem Cell Editing

A study in Nature suggests epitope editing in donor stem cells prior to bone marrow transplants can stave off toxicity when targeting acute myeloid leukemia with immunotherapy.