WuXi Advanced Therapies (WuXi ATU), a wholly owned subsidiary of WuXi AppTec, and A*STAR’s Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI), formed a new partnership to bring WuXi ATU’s proprietary Tetracycline-Enabled Self-Silencing Adenovirus (TESSA) technology to the Asia-Pacific region. This partnership aims to foster scientific innovation in cell and gene therapy, and establish a joint professional development program to train and develop the next generation of scientists and engineers in GMP manufacturing for the cell and gene therapy industry.

TESSA technology is a novel process for transfection-free, scalable manufacture of adeno-associated viruses (AAV) and represents a major advancement in AAV manufacturing by improving AAV yields and particle quality. TESSA technology produces more AAV than plasmid-based manufacturing, generating enough material to address the growing demand in healthcare needs for patients suffering from cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

As part of this collaboration, WuXi ATU will supply the materials, equipment, funding and training required to further develop and commercialize TESSA technology in Singapore. BTI will contribute research expertise, facilities and access to its network of partners to support WuXi ATU in its research and development in cell and gene therapy in Singapore.

“We are delighted to launch this collaboration with Singapore’s renowned Bioprocessing Technology Institute,” said David Chang, CEO, WuXi Advanced Therapies. “We hope that working together on the development and commercialization of TESSA technology will be the first step in a long-term partnership.”

Koh Boon Tong, executive director of A*STAR’s Bioprocessing Technology Institute, said, “With BTI’s extensive experience in bioprocessing science and engineering, we are excited to collaborate with WuXi ATU in the area of advanced cell and gene therapy and further R&D together. This is a significant step towards Singapore’s goal to be an innovative biotherapeutics bioprocessing R&D hub.”