Lonza Launches New TheraPEAK™ SfAAV™ Medium to Boost and Optimize the Production of AAV in Sf9 Insect Cells

• Lonza has launched a new medium to enhance and accelerate the production of Adeno Associated Virus (AAV) in Spodoptera Fuigiperda (Sf9) insect cells
• The TheraPEAK™ SfAAV™ Medium is specifically designed to support the development of safe, scalable, life-saving gene therapies
• A poster demonstrating the benefits enabled by the new medium is available to download from the Lonza website

  Amber Jones, Product Manager, Lonza: "Biotechnology companies are under increasing pressure to fast track the development of safe gene therapies to treat a range of life-threatening conditions. To achieve this, they need to create and implement reliable and consistent GMP-scalable processes, ensuring that product quality and patient safety always remain at the forefront. The new TheraPEAK™ SfAAV™ Medium has been designed to allow for increased AAV production in Sf9 insect cells, reduced downstream purification and easier regulatory approval, streamlining process scale-up for the commercialization of gene therapies."   Basel, Switzerland, 23 March 2020 – Lonza announces the launch of the TheraPEAK™ SfAAV™ Medium, the first chemically defined, non-animal origin medium designed specifically for the production of Adeno Associated Virus (AAV) in Spodoptera Fuigiperda (Sf9) insect cells for gene therapy applications. The new high-performance medium accelerates cell growth, increases productivity, and reduces process variability and costs, expediting time-to-market for safe, scalable, life-saving gene therapies. The unique benefits of the TheraPEAK™ SfAAV™ Medium, which marks the latest addition to Lonza’s TheraPEAK™ Family of cell culture media and reagents for cell and gene therapy applications, are summarized in an informative poster that can be downloaded for free from the Lonza website.

Gene therapy holds great promise for the treatment of rare disorders and diseases, and viral vectors are commonly used to facilitate the delivery of the gene of interest into patient cells. AAV has been established as a viral vector of choice, due to not replicating in patients, thus posing a lower health risk. Owing to their ability to be grown at high densities, the Sf9 insect cells are ideal for use as hosts for the production of large AAV quantities. To date, however, translational scientists and researchers have been challenged with the lack of a medium dedicated to AAV production in Sf9 insect cells.

Lonza’s TheraPEAK™ SfAAV™ Medium has been explicitly designed to address this need, providing a cost and time efficient solution for the production of AAV in Sf9 insect cells. Allowing for rapid cell growth, the TheraPEAK™ SfAAV™ Medium reduces processing time significantly, enabling cell infection one day earlier than similar media available on the market, and boosting laboratory performance. Due to its chemically defined nature, the new hydrolysate free medium produces AAV that requires less purification, further decreasing the overall processing time and minimizing labor requirements. Furthermore, the TheraPEAK™ SfAAV™ Medium supports consistent cell growth throughout all phases of the culturing process, considerably reducing process variability.

As a chemically defined, non-animal origin product, the TheraPEAK™ SfAAV™ Medium is safer to use than media containing animal or human components, thereby facilitating regulatory compliance. Additionally, the medium is supplied with a U.S. Food and Drug Administration drug master file, alleviating the relevant preparation and submission burden.

Poster: Evaluation of AAV Production in Insect Cells Using Chemically Defined Media
A new poster developed by Lonza’s cell culture experts discusses the results of a study whereby the TheraPEAK™ SfAAV™ Medium was used to support the production of AAV in Sf9 insect cells. The study demonstrated the ability of the new medium to ensure lot-to-lot consistency, stable doubling time and increased AAV production.

The poster is free to download and can be accessed via the following link: https://bioscience.lonza.com/download/content/asset/36112

Further information about the TheraPEAK™ SfAAV™ Medium can be found via www.lonza.com/therapeak-sfaav

About Lonza
Lonza is an integrated solutions provider that creates value along the Healthcare Continuum®. Through our Pharma Biotech & Nutrition segment and our Specialty Ingredients segment businesses, we harness science and technology to serve markets along this continuum. We focus on creating a healthy environment, promoting a healthier lifestyle and preventing illness through consumers preventive healthcare, as well as improving patient healthcare by supporting our customers to deliver innovative medicines that help treat or even cure severe diseases.

Patients and consumers benefit from our ability to transfer our pharma know-how to the healthcare, hygiene and fast-moving consumer goods environment and to the preservation and protection of the world where we live.

Founded in 1897 in the Swiss Alps, Lonza today is a well-respected global company with more than 100 sites and offices and approximately 15,500 full-time employees worldwide at the end of 2018. The company generated sales of CHF 5.5 billion in 2018 with a CORE EBITDA of CHF 1.5 billion. Further information can be found at www.lonza.com.

Lonza Contact Details

Dr. Kristin Koehler
Investor Relations
Lonza Group Ltd
Tel +41 61 316 8782
kristin.koehler@lonza.com

Dr. Sanna Fowler
Head of External Communications
Lonza Group Ltd
Tel +41 61 316 8929
sanna.fowler@lonza.com

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