• San Sebastián has become the world capital of gene therapy with the celebration of the First International Symposium on Gene Therapy Manufacturing.
• The meeting has been organized by VIRALGEN and VIVEbiotech, specialized companies on the production of viral vectors for gene therapy.

The companies VIRALGEN and VIVEbiotech, specialized on the production of viral vectors for gene therapy, have placed San Sebastián as the world capital of the gene therapy, due to the celebration, that took place yesterday, of the First Symposium on Gene Therapy Manufacturing. A meeting where it has been revealed that gene therapy will help curing the most important diseases of the XXI century, such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and rare diseases of genetic origin. The event has brought together a select group of experts from the biopharmaceutical sector worldwide, who have analyzed different strategic and technical aspects of gene therapy. Among the speakers, highlighted experts Dr. Jude Samulski, co-founder of AskBio and considered the founder of gene therapy, as well as Joseph Lillegard professor at the Mayo Clinic in the USA, pediatrician and researcher.

During his speech, Dr. Samulski has made a historical review of gene therapy and has placed special emphasis on the importance of manufacturing to achieve the development of treatments and that these would be accessible to all patients. In addition, he highlighted the importance of VIRALGEN and VIVEbiotech as pioneering companies in the production of gene therapy and that will play a fundamental role in the expansion of this market. 

For his part, Joseph Lillegard, has emphasized how gene therapy with lentiviral vectors acts in animal models when facing a metabolic disease. He has assured that "it is a pioneering experience that can be a great advance for the field and open up new possibilities for non-genetic diseases."

The opening of the Symposium has been carried out by Aihnoa Aizpuru, Regional Deputy for Economic Promotion, Rural Environment and Territorial Equilibrium, who has highlighted the Basque institutions' commitment to innovation; while Tim Miller, President and CSO (Chief Scientific Officer) in Abeona, has highlighted the importance of decisions in developing solutions, because of the impact it can have on patients, "since time is our enemy." Likewise, Amit Nathwany, Founder and CSO in Freeline, has reviewed the developments in Hemophilia A and B, and the importance that these treatments have for patients. Finally, David Backer, Senior Vice President and Commercial Development at ElevateBio, said that the new business models optimize resources and allow faster development progress.

The place chosen for the celebration of the Symposium has been San Sebastián, since Euskadi registers a high concentration of companies dedicated to gene therapy and advanced therapies. Companies such as VIRALGEN and VIVEbiotech have made San Sebastián a world leader in the manufacture of viral vectors for clinical trials of gene therapy.

Gene therapy is a tool that will revolutionize medicine, as highlighted by Viralgen CEO Javier García, who stressed that “the production of advanced therapies and, in particular, gene therapy is of vital importance, and we have the responsibility to contribute to its progress. The result of this first Symposium allows us to be optimistic about what the future will bring, and it makes us clear that the ecosystem that we are creating in San Sebastián is going to be an active part of creating this technological evolution that will have such an impact on the patients. "

The FDA plans to receive more than 200 applications for new indications for gene therapy in 2020 and by 2025 expects that between 10 and 20 new products could be approved each year for cell and gene therapy. The manufacture of these products is one of the bottlenecks of this expansion and represents a huge opportunity for scientific development and growth.