CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Jan. 08, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bamboo Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on developing gene therapies for rare neurological diseases, announced today that it had acquired the viral gene therapy manufacturing facility (“Vector Core”) from the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, N.C. Financial Details are not disclosed.
The Vector Core was founded in 1993 as a full-service viral vector production organization with extensive experience in vector design and process development, as well as manufacturing of research and clinical grade vectors. This 11,000 square foot facility has produced multiple research grade and clinical grade lots for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as universities and foundations.
Bamboo has developed a proprietary suspension cell-based production platform that utilizes serum free/chemically defined media to increase scalability, efficiency and purity. Our proprietary system decreases the amount of processing steps necessary in methods using adherent cells, while also reducing the variability and shortcomings associated with using animal serum, giving Bamboo superior vector yields at a lower cost.
“We believe that having a leading manufacturing facility fully integrated into our business provides flexibility and a competitive advantage,” stated Dr. Jude Samulski, Scientific Founder and Chairman of Bamboo Therapeutics. “We anticipate rapidly moving our programs forward, including our DMD program, which is expected to enter the clinic in early 2017.”
About Bamboo Therapeutics, Inc.
Bamboo Therapeutics, Inc. is a fully integrated, clinical stage gene therapy company developing therapeutics to treat central nervous system and neuromuscular diseases. Bamboo combines its own in-house expertise in AAV gene therapy research, vector manufacturing, clinical development, and regulation of gene therapy products with collaborations with academic experts in rare neurologic disease areas of mutual interest. The company’s pipeline is focused on diseases of high unmet need, including giant axonal neuropathy (GAN), Canavan disease, Friedreich’s ataxia and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Bamboo’s most advanced programs is for GAN, which is currently in a phase 1/2 trial.