CHO Plus Obtains U.S. Patent for Improved Production of Viral Vectors for Gene Therapy

Cell Engineering Technology Will Address Unmet Therapeutic Needs by Reducing Cost and Increasing Availability of Gene Therapy

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CHO Plus, Inc. (www.CHO-Plus.com), a leading developer of biopharmaceutical manufacturing technology, announced that U.S. Patent No. 12,252,713 was issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The patent covers a procedure for fusing and screening cells to obtain cell hybrids that can be used to produce viral vectors for gene therapy. This is the first patent covering the use of cell hybrids to produce viral vectors. Adoption of CHO Plus technology could lead to significantly lower manufacturing costs for AAV and lentivirus vectors, while relieving supply constraints and improving product quality.

Larry Forman, CHO Plus Founder, CEO, and co-inventor of this technology commented: ”We are thrilled to achieve this milestone. The technology was developed through the hard work and creativity of our scientific staff. Some common diseases would be amenable to gene therapy, but they remain untreated due to high viral vector production costs and the inability to produce sufficient quantities of the viral vectors. CHO Plus technology offers a possible solution.”

Joseph Tarnowski, CHO Plus Chief Technology and Business Officer, added: “This is one of our two central technologies. Our other patented technology uses cell hybrids to increase production of antibodies and other proteins used in therapy. We hope to partner both our viral vector technology and protein production technology with large pharmaceutical companies and CDMOs to assist us with commercial development.”

Current CHO Plus studies demonstrate that our engineered CHO cells produce up to 10-fold more therapeutic antibodies than un-engineered cells and our engineered HEK-293 cells produce up to 20-fold more AAV vectors, with up to 55% full capsids before purification. With a focus on innovation and collaboration, the company is committed to advancing production of therapeutic proteins and gene therapy vectors to address a wide range of clinical conditions.

About CHO Plus, Inc.

CHO Plus, a privately-held company, was founded with the mission of increasing the productivity of cells used for manufacturing life-saving therapeutic agents for treating human disease. CHO Plus has patents granted and pending for several different technologies in over ten jurisdictions around the world.

For more information, visit www.CHO-Plus.com.