Avista, Forge Enter Development & Manufacturing Partnership

Avista Therapeutics (Avista), a pre-clinical-stage biotechnology company, and Forge Biologics, (Forge), a manufacturer of genetic medicines and member of the Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services group, entered a strategic partnership to advance the development and manufacturing of AVST-101, Avista’s lead gene therapy candidate targeting X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS), a serious inherited retinal disease.

AVST‑101 is a next-generation gene therapy designed to treat XLRS through a combination of advanced capsid engineering, efficient intravitreal delivery, low-dose efficacy, and broad retinal coverage. 

Its development is an advancement in ocular gene therapy, representing a potentially safer, more accessible option for patients with inherited retinal disease.

Through this partnership, Forge will provide Avista with process development, cGMP manufacturing, toxicology, and analytical development services. Avista will also leverage Forge’s proprietary FUEL technologies, including its HEK293 suspension Ignition Cells and pEMBR 2.0 adenovirus helper plasmid. 

All development and manufacturing activities will occur at the Hearth, Forge’s 200,000 square foot gene therapy development and manufacturing facility in Columbus, Ohio.

“Partnering with Avista to support the advancement of AVST-101, their innovative intravitreal gene therapy for XLRS, aligns with our mission to help our clients accelerate the path to gene therapies for patients with urgent needs,” said John Maslowski, President and Chief Executive Officer of Forge. 

“Forge’s AAV-specific manufacturing expertise and platform technologies give us confidence in a smooth path forward in the development of AVST-101,” said Robert Lin, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Avista. “This collaboration further strengthens our ability to advance our mission of delivering transformative gene therapies to patients with vision loss.”