IDT Biologika, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) specialized in vaccines, gene and immune therapy and oncolytic viruses, and Exothera S.A., a CDMO specializing in the industrialization of vaccine and gene therapy processes, are collaborating to develop a large-scale manufacturing process for viral vector-based vaccines. The feasibility study is focusing on Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus as a first example for IDT’s broad range of vector technologies.
 
Exothera has already successfully transferred IDT Biologika’s upstream process from small to large scale in the NevoLine Upstream platform (Univercells Technologies).
 
The NevoLine platform incorporates the scale-X structured fixed-bed bioreactor system which offers a range of scalable options to smoothly scale viral production from R&D to commercialization. This biomanufacturing technology will help to deliver cost-effective viral production. The collaboration between IDT and Exothera will demonstrate the application and increased performance of the NevoLine platform at full commercial capacity.
 
Romain de Rauville, VP Business Development at Exothera, said, “We’re excited to be working collaboratively with IDT Biologika to leverage Univercells Technologies’ novel manufacturing platforms to design a high-quality, and cost-effective commercial process for the viral vector-based industry.”
 
Dr. Simone Kardinahl, SVP Development at IDT Biologika, added, “Viral vaccines have been receiving special attention since the launch of COVID vaccines, however they had been important for many vaccine programs, in the past already. IDT Biologika has a strong track record in development and manufacturing of vaccine candidates; this is why our researchers are continuously looking for options to further optimize our processes in terms of quality and efficiency. The Univercells Technologies equipment is one further milestone on this path.”