Lonza and Asimov have formed a collaboration to develop manufacturing approaches for lentiviral vectors used in emerging in vivo therapies. The companies will combine Asimov’s cell-line technologies with Lonza’s process development, scale-up, analytical testing and GMP manufacturing services.
The work centers on Asimov’s LV Edge system, which uses stable producer cell lines to make lentiviral vectors. Stable systems are designed to provide a repeatable production process, unlike methods that use multiple plasmids to transiently transfect cells for each batch.
Lentiviral vectors can be used to deliver genetic material. In an in vivo application, the vector is administered directly to the patient rather than being used to modify cells outside the body before treatment. The companies said this creates manufacturing requirements related to production output, product quality and scale.
Lonza and Asimov plan to incorporate manufacturing considerations earlier in the development of a cell line and vector program. Their work will include transgene optimization, cell-line development, process development, analytics, scale-up, GMP manufacturing and chemistry, manufacturing and controls preparation.
Daniel Palmacci, Lonza’s head of specialized modalities, said the companies will connect early design decisions with later manufacturing work. Asimov co-founder and CEO Alec Nielsen said the collaboration will use stable cell lines as part of a path from vector design to clinical production.
The partnership is focused on in vivo lentiviral vector programs, though the companies said the approaches can also support vectors used in ex vivo applications. Lonza and Asimov plan to develop a feasibility-first framework that evaluates programs before they advance through manufacturing development.