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 Interest in such medicines, which use engineered viruses to carry
healthy genetic material into the cells of sick people, has exploded
recently as the first wave of gene-fixing drugs reach the market.
That has left some drug companies scrambling for sufficient capacity
at a time when the industry is also grappling with shortages of
DNA-carrying viral vectors.
GE, better known for making jet engines and turbines, sees an
opportunity in the fast-growing field. It aims to build on its
existing expertise in biotech manufacturing by delivering a
"factory-in-a-box" service specifically for viral vector-based
medicine.
The U.S. conglomerate already makes off-the-shelf modular factories
for other complex biological medicines, such as monoclonal
antibodies.
Its so-called KUBio factories are cheaper and faster to construct
than traditional factories, offering GE a way to win business for
its growing life sciences business. Depending on the factory design
and the drug being made, an equivalent KUBio could reduce build
costs by as much as 50 percent, according to the company.
A spokeswoman said GE was currently in talks with several potential
customers for the new off-the-shelf viral vector factories.
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GE is also stepping up operations within the wider supply chain that
is needed to deliver cell therapies like Novartis' Kymriah and
Gilead Sciences' Yescarta, both of which were approved in 2017 for
treating certain blood cancers.
Last year, for example, GE Healthcare bought British-based
Asymptote, a specialist in freezing, preserving and transporting
large volumes of living cells.
Overall, GE says it expects to have a $1 billion-a-year gene and
cell therapy business by 2025.
The are now more than 700 viral vector-based therapies in clinical
trials, spurring demand for biologically secure bioreactors to churn
out products.
Since most such treatments are targeted therapies designed for small
patient populations, GE is betting that drug companies will prefer
its flexible small-scale KUBio units to large traditional factories.
(Editing by Mark Potter)
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