Forge Biologics Partners with Labcorp on AAV Gene Therapy Development

Forge Biologics, a manufacturer of genetic medicines, will collaborate with Labcorp, a global life sciences company, on gene therapy development and manufacturing.

Under the alliance, gene therapy clients will have access to manufacturing capabilities, drug development services, and coordinated scientific expertise, creating greater accessibility to services for adeno-associated virus (AAV) mediated gene therapy programs.

Working jointly, Labcorp and Forge aim to accelerate clinical timelines, reduce analytical development constraints, and mitigate potential regulatory challenges related to manufacturing and development processes.

“Labcorp is committed to solving challenges that are critical to addressing patients’ needs and delivering positive health outcomes,” said Marlyland Franklin, vice president and enterprise head of cell and gene therapy at Labcorp. “Through this strategic partnership with Forge, we can make significant progress to help patients access novel, potentially life-saving drugs. Labcorp’s comprehensive gene therapy drug development capabilities and scientific expertise, combined with the full suite of AAV manufacturing capabilities from Forge, will enable us to enhance and accelerate the AAV gene therapy development experience for our customers.”

“We are delighted to announce this strategic collaboration, which leverages Forge’s extensive AAV manufacturing services and Labcorp’s deep scientific and drug development expertise to provide a more integrated CRO-CDMO experience supporting the advancement of genetic medicines,” said John Maslowski, chief commercial officer of Forge Biologics. “This strategic relationship will allow us to address the unique needs of complex gene therapy development efficiently and consistently to meet our clients’ goal of accelerating the development of these transformational therapies to reach patients in need.”

Forge’s 20 cGMP suites make it one of the largest global AAV manufacturers. Forge’s leadership team has extensive gene therapy experience providing the specialized skill sets to design, develop, build, and run gene therapy manufacturing from early clinical stage through commercial scales. Labcorp is a provider of drug development services for advanced therapies across a variety of disciplines, including preclinical pharmacology, safety and toxicology, comprehensive clinical trials, and commercialization services.