CRG and PerkinElmer’s SIRION Biotech to Develop New Generation AAV Vectors for Type-1 and Type-2 Diabetes Gene Therapy

PerkinElmer, Inc., a global leader committed to innovating for a healthier world, today announced that its SIRION Biotech business, a world leader in viral vector-based gene delivery technologies for gene and cell therapy and vaccine development, and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), an international biomedical research center of excellence located in Barcelona, Spain, have entered into an agreement to jointly develop new generation adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors for type 1 and type 2 diabetes gene therapy in the pancreas.

The collaboration combines SIRION’s AAV technology platform and expertise in viral vector development and production with CRG’s deep knowledge of genetic regulatory mechanisms. The end goal is to develop AAV vectors that target specific pancreatic cell types and contain payloads that express therapeutic genes under control of cell-specific regulatory elements. This new approach aims to increase the precision, safety, and efficacy of future AAV based gene therapies for diabetes.

“As we look to the future of precision medicine, we are excited to collaborate with CRG on new generation AAV vector technology,” said Dr. Christian Thirion, founder and managing director of SIRION. The company offers one of the world’s most comprehensive viral vector technology platforms based on lenti-, adeno-, and adeno-associated viruses to expedite gene therapy research and advance drug development. “Our hope is that our joint efforts will not only facilitate better gene therapy options for type 1 and type 2 diabetes but also bring the life science industry closer to creating more successful and specialized gene therapies for other diseases such as neuronal disorders.”

CRG project leader and CIBERDEM researcher Professor Jorge Ferrer, an expert in regulatory genomics and diabetes comments: “In this joint project we will leverage our development platform for regulatory elements and harness our research results on gene networks from recent years.” He added, “Teaming with SIRION and translating our findings into real products and applications underscores the importance of having state-of-the art technologies and capabilities that can support others in their own endeavors.” Ultimately, such applied science could improve the lives and wellbeing of people around the world.

Collaboration with world-class research organizations such as CRG expands SIRION’s viral vector technology licensing portfolio that the industry can leverage to develop new cell and gene therapies.