Heidelberg, Germany – October 9, 2024 – AaviGen GmbH, a preclinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development of curative gene therapies for cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary diseases, announces the appointment of Prof. Dr. Toni Cathomen as a member of the scientific advisory board. “Targeted genome engineering is an essential building block for expanding our cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary target indications in AaviGen’s therapeutic pipeline. We are delighted to have Prof. Dr. Toni Cathomen – Director of the Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Gene Therapy, Medical Center – University of Freiburg – as a new member of our SAB. We see Prof. Cathomen’s internationally outstanding expertise, especially in the field of designer nucleases and their gene therapy application, as a key element for AaviGen’s development of curative therapies for genetically caused heart muscle diseases. This perfectly complements our heart-specific AAV vector platform.” says Prof. Patrick Most, CEO of AaviGen GmbH. Prof. Cathomen states that “the cure of a large number of genetically caused diseases will not be possible without the targeted editing of the underlying genomic defects. This is particularly true for heart diseases where gene addition or silencing strategies cannot be used. In my opinion, designer nucleases, such as CRISPR-Cas and the ongoing improvements, will become the highly efficient and safe molecular tools that we urgently need to cure previously incurable diseases. I am very pleased to support AaviGen on this path towards precision gene therapies that combine cardiac and genomic specificity in a unique combination.”
About Prof. Dr. Toni Cathomen
Toni Cathomen is Professor of Cell and Gene Therapy and Director of the Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Gene Therapy at the University of Freiburg, Germany. After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Zurich, he held positions at the Salk Institute in San Diego, California, the Charité Medical School in Berlin, and the Hannover Medical School in Germany. Dr. Cathomen’s research focuses on the development of hematopoietic stem cell and immune cell therapies using genome editing to target immunodeficiencies and certain cancers. He has also helped advance the safety of gene therapy by pioneering methods to assess the genotoxic risk of gene editors and gene-edited cell products.
About AaviGen
AaviGen was founded in 2019 on the understanding that successful gene therapy requires optimized delivery of therapeutic targets to the diseased heart. AaviGen’s scientific approach is documented in numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications and validated by its founders’ track record in scientific innovations for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac diseases, including gene therapy medicinal products. For more information, please see: www.aavigen.com
AaviGen Investor and Media Contact
Prof. Dr. Marc Lerchenmüller, Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director
AaviGen, Heidelberg, Germany
T: +49 6221 568900
M: +49 151 51646589
marc.lerchenmueller@aavigen.com
AaviGen’s Forward-Looking Statements
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PARIS, France and HEIDELBERG, Germany (Ocober 2, 2024) – SK pharmteco, a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for small molecules and advanced therapies, and AaviGen GmbH, a preclinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development of curative gene therapies for cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary diseases, today announced a multi-year manufacturing agreement wherein SK pharmteco will be the preferred manufacturing partner for Aavigen’s lead gene therapy product AVG-101 for the treatment of heart failure.
“SK pharmteco is a key partner for AaviGen as part of our strategy to develop and commercialize innovative gene therapies against diseases of the cardiovascular and cardiovascular system,” said Patrick Most, CEO of AaviGen. “The SK pharmteco team offered the trust, competence, and understanding of how a young company like AaviGen must operate in a dynamic market from the first minute of our interactions. We look forward to the collaboration with great confidence.”
AaviGen’s proprietary heart-specific adeno-associated viral vector technology enables the development of therapies that target and reverse the underlying molecular causes of heart muscle dysfunction. By focusing on key areas such as cardioprotection, contractility, and energy metabolism, AaviGen is committed to improving patient outcomes and restoring normal cardiac function.
“We are thrilled to partner with AaviGen on their innovative gene therapy for heart failure,” said Patrick Mahieux, SK pharmteco’s President of Cell and Gene, Europe. “Our deep expertise in viral vector manufacturing and our commitment to quality and efficiency make us the ideal partner to support the development and commercialization of this promising therapy. We look forward to contributing to the advancement of this groundbreaking treatment for patients in need.”
Martin Busch, PhD., COO of AaviGen added: “SK pharmteco stands out from the global pool of suppliers because of its extensive experience in process development and manufacturing of adeno-associated viral-based gene therapies. Additionally, their recent investments in expanding manufacturing capacity provide us with exceptional support from the earliest stages of development to the commercial phase, especially for common cardiac disorders, such as chronic heart failure.”
About AaviGen
AaviGen was founded in 2019 on the understanding that successful gene therapy requires optimized delivery of therapeutic targets to the diseased heart. AaviGen’s scientific approach is documented in numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications and validated by its founders’ track record in scientific innovations for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac diseases, including gene therapy medicinal products. For more information, please see: www.aavigen.com
About SK pharmteco
SK pharmteco is a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with production sites, research & development facilities, and analytical laboratories across the U.S., Europe, and Korea. The company partners with biopharmaceutical companies of all sizes to manufacture Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) and intermediates, cell and gene therapy technologies, registered starting materials, and analytical services for the biopharmaceutical industry worldwide. SK pharmteco is a subsidiary of SK Inc. (KRX: 034730) (SK), the strategic investment company for SK Group, South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate.
Contact
SK pharmteco
Keith Bowermaster, APR, CCMP
Communications Consultant
keith.bowermaster@skpt.com
www.skpharmteco.com
AaviGen
Prof. Marc Lerchenmüller, CFO
contact@aavigen.com
www.aavigen.com
Baltimore, USA – May 11, 2024 – AaviGen, a preclinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing curative gene therapies for cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary diseases, presented its latest developments for its cardiac-specific AAV vector portfolio and therapeutic pipeline at this year’s ASGCT meeting in Baltimore. “We have been extremely pleased with the progress our company has made over the past year in our cardiac-specific AAV vectors from our Next Cap platform and their superiority over benchmark vectors from other developments for cardiac indications,” said Dr. Martin Busch, COO of AaviGen. “AaviGen’s next-generation cardiac vectors will enable the company to tailor effective and safe therapies for both common and rare heart diseases with access to global markets,” said Prof. Dr. Marc Lerchenmüller, CFO of AaviGen.”
About AaviGen
AaviGen was founded in 2019 on the understanding that successful gene therapy requires optimized delivery of therapeutic targets to the diseased heart. AaviGen’s scientific approach is documented in numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications and validated by its founders’ track record in scientific innovations for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac diseases, including gene therapy medicinal products. For more information, please see: www.aavigen.com
AaviGen Investor and Media Contact
Prof. Dr. Marc Lerchenmüller, Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director AaviGen, Heidelberg, Germany
T: +49 6221 568900
M: +49 151 51646589
marc.lerchenmueller@aavigen.com