Collaboration aims to evolve precision medicine with cell-specific delivery of 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 Professor Jorge Ferrer, an expert in regulatory genomics and diabetes, said, “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. For more information on Munich, Germany-based SIRION, a PerkinElmer company, please visit www.sirion-biotech.com.

About PerkinElmer

PerkinElmer is a leading, global provider of end-to-end solutions that help scientists, researchers and clinicians better diagnose disease, discover new and more personalized drugs, monitor the safety and quality of our food, and drive environmental and applied analysis excellence. With an 85-year legacy of advancing science and a mission of innovating for a healthier world, our dedicated team of more than 16,000 collaborates closely with commercial, government, academic and healthcare customers to deliver reagents, assays, instruments, automation, informatics and strategic services that accelerate workflows, deliver actionable insights and support improved decision making. We are also deeply committed to good corporate citizenship through our dynamic ESG and sustainability programs. The Company reported revenues of approximately $5.0 billion in 2021, serves customers in 190 countries, and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Additional information is available at www.perkinelmer.com. Follow PerkinElmer on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

About the Centre for Genomic Regulation

The CRG is a biomedical research center based in Barcelona, Spain which has launched five spin-off companies since 2008. It is home to more than 400 interdisciplinary scientists focused on understanding the complexity of life, from the genome to the cell and the entire organism, and recently created a Medical Genomics Programme. The CRG is a center with a unique research model, focused on recruiting internationally renowned group leaders. It hosts the European Genome-Phenome Archive together with EMBL-EBI, and is partnered with EMBL Barcelona. The CRG is a member of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) and a CERCA centre within the research system of the Catalan Government.

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