Strasbourg, France, October 25 2022 – Polyplus, a leading upstream solutions provider for advanced biologic and cell and gene therapy production from research to commercial grade, and ENCell, a leading Korean CGT CMO (contract manufacturing organization), have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU). The partnership covers a range of optimizing manufacturing technology of viral vectors in commercial scale and gene therapy development. Project activities will be conducted at the ENCell’s 2nd and 3rd GMP plants in Hanam with Polyplus’ scientific support.

“ENCell is working to accelerate viral vector CMO business via a collaboration with Polyplus.”, said Dr. Jong Wook Chang, CEO of ENCell. “We are glad to have a partnership with Polyplus for their global network, stable supply chain, and in-depth upstream process support capability. Together, we will optimize and advance our manufacturing technology.”

ENCell started as a spin-off company of Samsung Medical Center in 2018 and is currently leading cell and gene therapy CMO market in Korea. With a recent establishment of the 3rd GMP plant, they can manufacture clinical grade viral vectors such as LV and AAV. Based on their manufacturing infrastructure, ENCell can provide one-stop service for manufacturing gene-modified cell products such as CAR-T or CAR-NK including the viral vector production. ENCell is currently running a CAR-T manufacturing project for a clinical trial in their 2nd GMP plant, and AAV manufacturing project in the 3rd GMP plant.

“We are thrilled to work with the innovative ENCell team towards faster, more efficient and cost-effective medicines,” Thomas LeJolly, APAC Director at Polyplus commented. “As the industry’s needs change, we are deepening our upstream process economics solutions with more product and support options across sectors. Polyplus legacy intracellular nucleic acid transfection solutions are now complemented by plasmid vector engineering services to help improve cell and gene therapy viral vector productivity and quality.”

The MOU agreement with Polyplus was signed in late August and the collaboration projects are underway at time of press.

 

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About Polyplus

Polyplus is a leading upstream solutions provider for advanced biologic and cell and gene therapy production from research to commercial scale. An innovator in nucleic acid delivery, the legacy portfolio features process-centric transfection reagents, kits, and support services including bioproduction industry standard, PEIpro®. Custom plasmid vector design was integrated into the offer in 2022 as a first measure to expanding the products and services portfolio to help the industry optimize process economics while meeting strict scientific and regulatory standards. Headquartered in Europe, the Polyplus team continues to grow globally with operations in the United States and Asia. Learn more at Polyplus website.

About ENCell

ENCell is a well aging-oriented biotech company providing best-in-class CMO service for advanced biopharmaceuticals as well as developing cell and gene therapy aiming to lead regenerative medicine. Based on GMP manufacturing technology with global standards, ENCell provides top-quality cell and gene therapy manufacturing services for investigational or commercialized products and QC services. ENCell also focuses on developing cell and gene therapies to resolve unmet medical needs. The ongoing phase1 clinical trials of DMD and CMT in Korea will be completed soon, and an IND submission for Sarcopenia is being prepared. ENCell is expanding its development area to AAV-based gene therapy for retinitis pigmentosa and DMD.

Learn more at http://www.encellinc.com/?module=Default&action=DefaultEn

 

Media Contact Information: 

Alengo Nyamay’antu, PhD
Marketing & Communication team leader at Polyplus
an@polyplus-transfection.com
Direct: +33 3 88 67 59 38

Yun Hee Kim, PhD
General Manager in Strategic initiative at ENCell
yunhee.kim@encellinc.com
Direct: + 82 2 6205 8040