31 March 2020 - - US-based biotechs Generation Bio and Vir biotechnology (NASDAQ: VIR) have inked a collaborative research agreement to explore the potential for Generation Bio's non-viral gene therapy platform to extend the impact and reach of Vir's current or future human monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, the companies said.

Generation Bio's technology has the potential to deliver genetic information directly to cells without the use of adeno-associated viruses, in effect instructing the patient's body to produce the antibody itself.

The companies believe that this technology, coupled with Vir's potent neutralising antibodies, has the potential to provide effective, long-lasting protection against SARS-CoV-2.

Vir's leading antibody was isolated from a SARS-CoV-1 recovered patient and potently neutralises SARS-CoV-2. Vir believes that this approach can potentially provide broad and longer-lasting protection.

Generation Bio's proprietary non-viral gene therapy platform is designed to enable production of target proteins from a patient's own cells. This approach may allow the patient to maintain stable levels of antibody expression for years, providing continuous protection against the target virus.

In addition, the companies intend to leverage Generation Bio's scalable manufacturing process to potentially extend the reach of Vir's monoclonal antibodies to a greater number of patients.

Generation Bio is an innovative genetic medicines company focused on creating a new class of gene therapy to provide durable, redosable treatments for patients suffering from both rare and prevalent diseases.

The company's non-viral platform incorporates a proprietary high-capacity DNA construct called closed-ended DNA, or ceDNA; a novel cell-targeted lipid nanoparticle delivery system, or ctLNP; and an established, scalable capsid-free manufacturing process.

The company is designing therapies to provide targeted delivery of genetic payloads that include large and multiple genes across a broad array of tissues, and to be redosable for individualized and extended treatment throughout a patient's life.

The platform is designed to expand access to treatments for rare diseases and to address prevalent diseases through efficient, scalable manufacturing.

Vir has a robust method for capitalizing on unusually successful immune responses naturally occurring in people who are protected from, or have recovered from, infectious diseases.

The platform is used to identify rare antibodies from survivors that have the potential to treat and prevent rapidly evolving and/or previously untreatable pathogens via direct pathogen neutralization and immune system stimulation.

Vir engineers the fully human antibodies that it discovers to enhance their therapeutic potential.

This platform has been used to identify and develop antibodies for pathogens including Ebola (mAb114, currently in use in the Democratic Republic of Congo), hepatitis B virus, influenza A, SARS-CoV-2, malaria, and others.

Vir biotechnology is a clinical-stage immunology company focused on combining immunologic insights with cutting-edge technologies to treat and prevent serious infectious diseases.

Vir has assembled four technology platforms that are designed to stimulate and enhance the immune system by exploiting critical observations of natural immune processes.

Its current development pipeline consists of product candidates targeting hepatitis B virus, influenza A, SARS-CoV-2, human immunodeficiency virus, and tuberculosis.