Yposkesi’s Bioproduction Project Selected for French Government Investment

Yposkesi, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for companies developing cell and gene therapies, announced in a June 29, 2021 press release that its bioproduction project has been selected for the French government’s “Plan de Relance” initiative, which is an economic stimulus package aimed at making the nation’s bioproduction industry strategically more robust and economically resilient.

Yposkesi is investing €5 million (US$6 million) in its “Boost” project to develop a new generation 1000-L, good manufacturing practice (GMP) platform with optimized manufacturing and control processes for efficient viral vector production from the thawing of cells up to the aseptic filling of the end product. As drug developers advance gene therapy treatments from clinical to commercial batches, more large-scale viral vector capacity is required, the company noted in the press release.

“Yposkesi is proud that our Boost project has been selected for funding under the French government’s ‘Plan de Relance’ program,” said Alain Lamproye, executive chairman of Yposkesi, in the press release. “The implementation of a large-scale GMP production line will allow us to achieve significant economies of scale and reduce production costs, while shortening the time to produce equal amounts of active substances. Our aim is to help under-served patient populations access advanced therapies.”

The company currently produces batches of viral vectors in two 200-L bioreactors. After the expansion, one of its four production suites will be able to produce batches at the scale of a 1000-L bioreactor, for sections of upstream production and downstream purification. The company will also increase its vial filling capacity. Modeling tools will aid process optimization.

“The deployment of new infrastructures and their optimal use cannot be achieved without technological innovation," added Lamproye. “Part of this project will focus on building in silico tools for analysis and modeling of generated data to optimize, as well as better control and make predictions about, our processes.”

The company had announced earlier in June 2021 that it was building a second cell and gene therapy manufacturing facility on its campus in Corbeil-Essonnes, France.

Source: Yposkeski