Cobra and Tecrea to Develop AAV Production Bioprocess

Cobra Biologics, an international CDMO of biologics and pharmaceuticals and cell delivery biotechnology company Tecrea are to develop a robust, large scale bioprocess for Adeno Associated Virus (AAV) with the support of a 15 month collaborative grant of £112,291 ($166,000 USD). The grant was awarded under Innovate UK’s ‘Technology Inspired Innovation’ competition, which aims to stimulate innovation within biosciences, identified by UK government as one of four key enabling technology areas.  

The collaboration will focus on achieving scalable GMP production of AAV at low cost by combining NanoCargo™, an efficient, low toxicity nanoparticle-based transfection system from Tecrea with Cobra’s small footprint hollow fibre bioreactors and manufacturing expertise.

Dr Daniel Smith, CSO Cobra Biologics, commented: “We are looking forward to collaborating closely with Tecrea, and their innovative delivery system. This is a very exciting project for Cobra, as it has the potential to expand our current viral production offering for AAV, providing a scalable route for viral vector production using a transient transfection approach.”

Dr John Ridden, Director at Tecrea, said: “We are delighted to be working with Cobra Biologics on this project. This grant is a great opportunity for us to move our exciting nanotechnology delivery platform into large-scale transfection, which in turn could result in significant improvements in the production of new therapies.”