SIRION Biotech expands business and ideas

Munich, Germany: – Viral technology specialist SIRION Biotech has reported revenues almost doubled during the last financial year as well as major new collaboration and licensing deals.

These developments consolidate SIRION’s pole position as a leading force in gene delivery technologies and hi-tech developer of viral vector technologies, catering to the life sciences.

During the second half of 2015, SIRION Biotech concluded landmark deals with global pharma companies to develop and license next-generation gene delivery techniques.

Moving to industrial applications

These deals all reflect growing interest in novel therapies and vaccines that use viral gene delivery tools as bases for curative therapies.

“The company has entered new territory by also specializing in industrial uses of its technologies, in addition to drug discovery and early R&D applications,” commented SIRION Biotech’s Managing Director, Dieter Lingelbach.

“The fact that we struck major deals in both sectors last year means that virus-based delivery is in the process of becoming a routine commercial application, very much like antibodies did about 20-30 years ago,” added Mr. Lingelbach.

Collaborative partnerships

As specialists for the design and engineering of viral vectors SIRION Biotech will collaborate closely with its Pharma- and Biotech-partners to engineer specific gene delivery systems to accurately fit in the context of their therapeutic developments. The projects will be built from a preclinical base upwards, maintaining active collaboration well into the clinical phases.

“With SIRION at their sides, our partner companies will be able predict and address the roadblocks laid out by the complex nature of modern gene applications and take these hurdles in stride,” said Dr. Carl J. Christel, SIRION’s Senior Manager of Sales & Marketing.

“In the end this joint approach will help create and refine new technologies to be implemented in a wide array of gene replacement therapies, cancer immunotherapies and genetic vaccination approaches,” says Dr. Christel.

Expanding research boundaries

SIRION has also turned to a form of crowd sourcing to influence its future development pipeline.

With a whole list of AAV engineering projects for 2016, SIRION is pushing the boundaries of in-vivo gene modification to enable highest possible expression control.

Now it has appealed for ideas from partners and researchers visiting its website for their ideas as to which tissue or cell types are the most interesting research candidates to be included in its R&D program.

“This is your chance to influence our AAV program.” the company says.

The current SIRION AAV-R&D pipeline includes optimized AAV serotypes to target specific cell types and tissues, including endothelial AAV, inducible AAV expression vectors and AAV transduction boosters to maximize transduction efficiencies.

About SIRION Biotech

Founded at Martinsried, near Munich, in 2007, SIRION BIOTECH has become an international leader in innovating virus vector technologies, providing custom services to academic and industrial partners worldwide. Its core expertise lies in custom virus generation for genetic engineering of mammalian cell systems. With its comprehensive viral vector portfolio, SIRION offers a suitable option for almost any in vitro and in vivo application.

SIRION is now Europe’s leading supplier of viral vectors used for genetic research, target validation, gene therapy and vaccination studies. It is also the only company to master all three major virus types that are used regularly for genetic manipulation of cell systems: All-in-one Lentivirus, adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) and adenovirus vectors.

SIRION offers a range of advanced technologies including control gene expression and knockdown, inducible, tissue specific expression and transduction boosters, as well as a full range of virus related services, ranging from particle production to virus driven cell modeling.