VectorBuilder and Lir Therapeutics have formed a strategic collaboration to develop adeno-associated virus capsids designed to combine biological performance with the manufacturability and scalability needed for clinical gene-therapy programs.
The partners will combine VectorBuilder’s AAV discovery, capsid engineering, process development and GMP manufacturing capabilities with Lir’s nAAVigator artificial intelligence platform. The work will span computational design, laboratory validation, manufacturing assessment and clinical translation.
Rather than creating entirely new vectors, Lir will use its AI-driven, lab-in-the-loop workflow to refine selected high-performing capsids discovered through VectorBuilder’s DeepCap platform. The companies aim to improve manufacturing performance while maintaining or enhancing the capsids’ therapeutic characteristics.
The partnership will focus on capsids that can improve manufacturing productivity and process robustness, increase full capsid yield and product quality, reduce therapeutic dose requirements, and enhance tissue specificity while reducing off-target delivery and immune recognition.
AAV vectors are widely used in gene therapy to deliver genetic material to cells. The companies said promising capsids often fail to advance beyond early development because vectors developed for tissue targeting or potency can become difficult to manufacture at scale. Improvements in biological performance may also create tradeoffs in production yield, product quality or dosing requirements.
VectorBuilder and Lir said they intend to account for those manufacturing considerations at the beginning of capsid design rather than addressing them later in development.
“Gene therapy doesn’t just need better capsids, it needs capsids that can make it all the way to patients,” said Bruce Lahn, chief scientist of VectorBuilder. He said the collaboration is intended to address development and manufacturing obstacles earlier in a program’s life cycle.
Lir Chief Executive Killian Hanlon said the company’s AI-based approach seeks to address dose reduction, tissue targeting and immune evasion at the same time. He said the collaboration will test whether computational design can improve high-potential capsids across biological function, manufacturability and translational potential.
The partners will initially evaluate multiple lead capsids in selected therapeutic applications using iterative AI-guided engineering, experimental validation and manufacturing assessments. Resulting data are expected to support continued optimization of VectorBuilder’s capsid portfolio and create potential therapeutic partnership opportunities.