Oxford Biomedica initiates new project with Orchard Therapeutics utilising LentiStable™ technology

Oxford, UK - 26 July 2022: Oxford Biomedica plc (LSE:OXB) ("Oxford Biomedica" or "the Company"), a leading gene and cell therapy group, today announces that it has initiated a new project with Orchard Therapeutics utilising the Company's proprietary LentiStable™ technology.

As part of the project, Oxford Biomedica's LentiStable™ technology platform will be used to develop a producer cell line capable of stably expressing lentiviral vectors. Using this technology, the project will be focused on developing high-performing candidate clones for Orchard Therapeutics' OTL-203, an investigational hemopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene therapy in development for the potential treatment of mucopolysaccharidosis type I Hurler's syndrome (MPS-IH). As part of an existing collaboration, established in November 2016, Orchard Therapeutics will explore the technology to increase the manufacturing efficiency and scalability of HSC gene therapy.

Oxford Biomedica's cutting edge LentiStable™ technology platform, which is the result of more than 10 years of optimisation work, allows the development of a mammalian cell line which can use a chemical inducer to generate viral vector production without the need for transient transfection. This technology has the potential to deliver highly efficient producer cell lines to enable streamlined, scalable and cost-effective manufacturing.

Dr. Kyriacos Mitrophanous, Chief Scientific Officer of Oxford Biomedica, commented: "We are pleased to enter into a new project with Orchard Therapeutics, a global gene therapy leader. We are committed to innovation and to the ongoing development of our platform, which is key to our goal of widening access to gene therapy by lowering the cost of viral vector manufacturing. Our proprietary LentiStable™ technology shows great promise in support of this goal and underlines our overall position as a leader in cell and gene therapy and our ambition to remain at the forefront of this important work for patients globally."

Nicoletta Loggia, Ph.D., Chief Technical Officer of Orchard Therapeutics, added: "This project underscores Orchard's commitment to continued innovation in all aspects of our operations, including manufacturing. The evaluation of stable cell producer lines is part of our focus on establishing a sustainable lentiviral vector manufacturing platform. We look forward to working with Oxford Biomedica to further explore this technology for the HSC gene therapy field."

-Ends-

Enquiries:       

Oxford Biomedica plc: T: +44 (0)1865 783 000 / E: ir@oxb.com

Stuart Paynter, Chief Financial Officer

Sophia Bolhassan, Head of Investor Relations

Consilium Strategic Communications:

T: +44 (0)20 3709 5700 / E: oxfordbiomedica@consilium-comms.com

Mary-Jane Elliott / Matthew Neal            

About Oxford Biomedica

Oxford Biomedica (LSE:OXB) is an innovative leading viral vector specialist focused on delivering life changing therapies to patients.

Oxford Biomedica plc and its subsidiaries (the Group) work across key viral vector delivery systems including those based on lentivirus, adeno-associated virus (AAV) and adenovirus, providing innovative solutions to cell and gene therapy biotechnology and biopharma companies for their process development, analytical development and manufacturing needs. Oxford Biomedica has built a sector leading lentiviral vector delivery system, LentiVector® platform, which the Group leverages to develop product candidates in-house, before seeking partners to take the products into clinical trials.

Oxford Biomedica is based across several locations and is headquartered in Oxfordshire, UK. In early 2022, the Group established Oxford Biomedica Solutions, a new US based subsidiary AAV manufacturing and innovation business, based near Boston, US.

Oxford Biomedica employs more than 940 people. Further information is available at www.oxb.com.