ViGeneron, a gene therapy company, and WuXi Advanced Therapies Inc., a Contract, Testing, Development and Manufacturing Organization (CTDMO), have announced a strategic partnership to accelerate production for the clinical development of VG901, a next-generation ophthalmic gene therapy program.

ViGeneron’s lead product VG901 targets a disease gene for Retinitis pigmentosa (RP), for which there is currently no approved treatment option. VG901 is developed from ViGeneron’s proprietary next generation vgAAV vector platform that allows a superior transduction of retinal cells and intravitreal, a less invasive treatment administration.

WuXi ATU will accelerate the development of VG901 by manufacturing, testing and making available the clinical trial grade treatment while leveraging its trusted, world-class AAV Suspension and Plasmid DNA platforms.

“We are excited to partner with WuXi Advanced Therapies to access their integrated platforms, expertise and cGMP manufacturing capabilities to advance our ongoing development. We are well on track to kick off the manufacturing of our lead product, VG901, by close of 2020 to bring our innovative gene therapy into the clinic and to patients in need. Both parties aim to build a strategic partnership for long term success, which will enable us to work faster with greater predictability of supply and quality,” said Dr. Caroline Man Xu, co-founder & CEO of ViGeneron.

“We are proud to join with ViGeneron to advance this important work in ophthalmology,” commented Dr. David Chang, CEO of WuXi ATU. “VG901 has the potential to improve the lives of many patients suffering from reduced vision. Through this partnership, we will be able to provide more patients with faster and more reliable care to meet their unmet medical needs. Together we will bring this cutting edge solution to patients around the world and help overcome the many challenges that those with ophthalmic disorders face.”