Chinese firms partner to boost cell and gene therapy focused CDMO platform
Yinjia Biosciences will provide Porton Advanced with core protein raw materials and testing reagent products for quality control and evaluation systems.
“Yinjia Biosciences has a strong R&D and advanced platform for high-quality protein and rich industrialization experience in core protein raw materials and testing reagents. This strategic partnership will strengthen Porton Advanced’s CGT CDMO and accelerate the development of innovative CGT therapeutics,” said Dr Wang Yangzhou, CEO of Porton Advanced.
Founded in 2018 and located in Suzhou, China, Porton Advanced is a subsidiary of the contract development and manufacturing organization, Porton Pharma Solutions Ltd. It provides end-to-end gene and cell therapy services covering plasmids, cell therapy, gene therapy, oncolytic virus, mRNA therapy, and bacterial therapy.
Its new 160,000 sq ft (14864.5 sq. m) GMP facility is orientated towards the manufacture of GMP products to facilitate cell and gene therapy clinical trials and the commercial phase. The CDMO now has over 200,000 sq. ft of manufacturing production space dedicated to the CGT work, including GMP viral vector production lines, GMP cell therapy production lines and multiple cleanrooms.
Funding work
Porton Advanced announced the completion of its Series B financing round last August, with over US$80m raised. The financing was led by China Merchants Groups' healthcare PE fund, Merchant Health, along with its sister fund China Merchants Capital, China Merchants Securities Investments.
Yinjia Biosciences, which was established in November 2020, has completed three rounds of financing. It outlined how it has now developed more than 50 high-end proteins covering frontier fields such as cell therapy, mRNA vaccine, circRNA, molecular diagnosis, and new antitumor drugs. It has also built laboratories and GMP pilot production platforms in Shanghai, Suzhou, and Beijing.
