Latest News
eXmoor and Virica receive funding to improve AAV gene therapy manufacturing
Virica Biotech and eXmoor Pharma have announce a new collaboration project funded by a joint UK-Canada government initiative. This project aims to enhance the manufacturing of adeno-associated vectors (AAVs) crucial for gene therapies, ultimately reducing costs and improving the accessibility of life-saving therapies. The collaborative project will utilize Virica’s VSEs™, small molecules that have been shown to increase productivity of AAVs, leveraging eXmoor’s scale-up process development expertise to identify top candidates and deploy them at commercial scale upon completion of the project next year. Press Release: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241017137541/en/eXmoor-and-Virica-receive-funding-to-improve-AAV-gene-therapy-manufacturing Learn more about eXmoor Pharma’s CDMO services for Cell and Gene Therapies Here
Webinar: Accelerating AAV production: optimizing compound identification and process parameters
Wednesday November 20th, 08:00 PST / 11:00 EST / 16:00 GMT / 17:00 CET Virica Biotech and Culture Biosciences will present innovative solutions to address the high costs associated with gene therapy manufacturing. Real-world case studies will highlight improved productivity, shorter timelines, and more efficient scale-up. Attendees will gain insights into optimizing AAV production using data-driven solutions, which offer significant advantages over traditional methods. Register Here
Virica Biotech and Ginkgo Bioworks Announce Partnership to Accelerate AAV Gene Therapy Manufacturing
Virica Biotech and Ginkgo Bioworks have announced a strategic partnership aimed at improving AAV gene therapy production. Virica will provide a panel of its Viral Sensitizer Enhancers (VSETM) to Ginkgo for high-throughput AAV production screening, while Ginkgo will utilize its advanced screening platform to test VSEs directly in clients' cell lines. This collaboration is expected to drive down manufacturing costs and make gene therapies more accessible, combining Ginkgo's cutting-edge screening capabilities with Virica's proprietary technology. Read the Press Release
Invest Ottawa Announces Virica’s IO Accelerator Graduation
Invest Ottawa announces Virica’s graduation from its flagship program following significant growth, increased revenue, team expansion, creating numerous jobs, and securing critical funding. As Virica transitions to the IO ScaleUp program, its aim is to expand services, enter new markets, and continue helping life-saving cell and gene therapies scale. Read Full Article: LINK HERE
Virica Launches New Lab Facility with Support from the Government of Canada
On June 24, 2024, Yasir Naqvi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), announced a $1.5 million repayable investment to support the expansion of Virica's new facility at the Carleton University. The new facility offers a significant expansion of bioprocess services and improved infrastructure, multiplying our capacity to provide high-throughput virology services for clients looking to optimize the production of cell and gene therapies. Key highlights: Expanded high throughput virology services. State-of-the-art [...]
Virica Awarded NIIMBL Project to Enhance CAR-T Manufacturing
Virica has been selected as a project lead for one of NIIMBL | The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals planned projects, which aim to address key opportunities for innovation in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. NIIMBL is a public-private partnership whose mission is to accelerate biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Virica, with support from NIIMBL members AstraZeneca and Sartorius Stedim Biotech, aims to increase lentiviral vector production outputs, cut costs, and improve manufacturing efficiency for CAR-T using small-molecule enhancers. Read NIIMBL’s full press release
Ella Korets-Smith of Virica Biotech Featured in Ottawa Business Journal for Advancing Gene Therapy
Our own Ella Korets-Smith, Chief Strategy Officer and co-founder of Virica Biotech, has been featured in the Ottawa Business Journal for her impactful role in advancing breakthrough biotechnology to “democratize gene therapy.” Virica’s vision is to make gene therapies accessible and affordable. Ella shares her entrepreneurial journey building Virica from an idea to a thriving business, expressing enthusiasm for Virica’s growing momentum. Virica’s Viral Sensitizer (VSETM) Technology “makes cells more friendly to viruses,” unlocking improved yield and productivity to achieve the scale these life-saving therapies need. With over 50 clients starting to use the products and scale their platforms, the [...]
Virica Expands Bioprocessing Capabilities with Carleton University Partnership
Virica Biotech Inc. (“Virica”), a leading developer of cell enhancers for scaling of viral vectors and cell and gene therapies, announces a significant expansion of bioprocessing services through a strategic partnership with Carleton University in a PRESS RELEASE. "This multi-year, multi-million-dollar research and infrastructure partnership will help drive innovation and talent development in the Ottawa region for the creation and manufacturing of advanced therapies," said Rafik Goubran, Ph.D., Vice-President (Research and International) and Chancellor’s Professor, Carleton University. Slated to open this spring, Virica’s new facility at the university multiplies the company’s capacity to provide high throughput virology services for customers [...]
Cell & Gene Insights Fast Facts: Is Bigger Better in Viral Vector Manufacturing?
Cell & gene therapy (C>) is complex, expensive and lacks standardization. How do you effectively evaluate and make informed decisions to identify a winning viral vector production strategy to improve the accessibility & affordability of C>? We are thrilled to announce our Fast Facts video with Cell & Gene Insights, where our expert Andrea Vervoort, Technical Lead, breaks down key cost drivers of AAV manufacturing and the commercial impacts of incorporating Virica’s Viral Sanitizers (VSETM) using Biopharm’s BioSolve Bioprocess modelling. Click here to view our latest bioprocess modelling data in a Fast Facts video on Cell & Gene Insights!
Virica Kicks Off 2024 with a New Head of Global Sales and a Full Presentation Calendar
Virica Biotech Inc. (“Virica”), a leading developer of cell enhancers for scaling of viral vectors, as well as cell and gene therapies, announced today the expansion of their sales team along with a full presentation calendar in a PRESS RELEASE. Azra Benson, a veteran stem cell scientist with extensive commercial experience in the cell and gene therapy space, joins Virica as Head of Global Sales. It's exciting to have Azra join us at this pivotal time as we look forward to a busy 2024, working with clients to scale-up their life-changing cell and gene therapies. “An exciting first quarter lies [...]