NewBiologix launches with $50M to make gene therapies more viable

NewBiologix SA emerged from stealth today as a technology innovation company developing a proprietary and breakthrough platform for the advanced engineering of cell lines used to manufacture gene and cell therapies. The Company’s DNA-based platform is being developed to address key manufacturing challenges associated with the production of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors used to produce advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs).

NewBiologix’s $50 million (CHF 45 million) Series A was led by Recipharm A/S with additional funding from the Company’s co-founders, Igor Fisch and Nicolas Mermod. Recipharm is a leading global pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation (CDMO) headquartered in Sweden and owned by private equity firm EQT IX. Igor Fisch and Nicolas Mermod co-founded Selexis in 2001 and sold the global leader in cell line development to JSR Life Sciences in 2017. 

With its Series A financing, an experienced start-up team, and a world-class scientific advisory board, NewBilogix will begin beta testing the cell line prototypes with key collaborators by 2024 and anticipates making viral production cell lines commercially available by 2026. The start-up is based at Biopôle in Epalinges.

“As the number of gene and cell therapies in the clinic and market continues to grow, improved manufacturing solutions for viral vectors are needed,” says NewBiologix co-founder and CEO, Igor Fisch, Ph.D., who brings more than 20 years’ experience in biotech and cell line development to the new entity. “Our mission is to help biopharmaceutical companies treat some of the most devastating diseases by providing them with innovative technologies and solutions to boost the production and efficacy of viral vectors, rapidly and more cost effectively.”

NewBiologix is currently focused on recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors, the preferred delivery vehicle for gene therapies. Specifically, the Company’s technologies will be applied to human (HEK-293) and mammalian (CHO) cell lines. These cell lines will be engineered to be readily adaptable to meet the viral vector demands and requirements over a full range of therapeutic indications to help partners address rare, chronic, and currently incurable diseases. Cell lines engineered with NewBiologix’s innovative platform will allow for more stable rAAV production, higher quality and predictable expression levels, less empty capsids, and better batch-to-batch reproducibility of production.

Enabling cell therapies for larger patient populations

“Current gene and cell therapies primarily focus on rare diseases. We believe our approach to generating rAAV vectors should help biopharmaceutical companies advance into emerging therapies that target larger patient populations with chronic conditions,” says NewBiologix co-founder and senior vice president of research and development, Nicolas Mermod, Ph.D., also a 20-year biotech veteran with expertise in molecular biotechnology. “NewBiologix’s platform is a quantum leap forward. Our approach will significantly impact the cost of goods sold (COGs), making gene therapy more viable for rare diseases.”

NewBiologix is leveraging next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based genome characterization to develop a proprietary bioinformatics platform designed to improve cell line capabilities for the expression and production of ATMPs. By including NGS-based technologies during the cell line development process, NewBiologix can make data-driven decisions about the cell banks’ stability, integrity, and biosafety while providing robust supportive data for regulatory submissions.

Inauguration ceremony today

NewBiologix now benefits from new premises, spread over more than 1,800 m2 between administrative spaces and state-of-the-art laboratories and Biopôle in Epalinges. These premises were inaugurated today in the presence of Raphael Conz, Head of the Economic and Innovation Promotion Service of the Canton of Vaud, the Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, Sir Gregory Winter, and Marc Funk, CEO of Recipharm - former CEO of Lonza.

(Press release / SK)

Photo L-R: Deborah Ley (COO NewBiologix), Mahendra Rao (CEO Implant Therapeutics), Sir Gregory Winter (nobel pize winner, scientific advisor NB), Igor Fisch (CEO NB), Nicolas Mermod (Cofounder NB), Marc Funk (CEO Recipharm), Ulrike Lemke (CTO Recipharm), Thierry Schuepbach (CDO NB)