Biotech company wins Merck award for platform to help treat muscular and neurodegenerative disorders

Netherlands-based biotechnology company VectorY has been selected as the European winner of Merck’s 2021 Advance Biotech Grant Program.

VectorY was chosen for its development of proprietary and partnered programs based on a novel adeno-associated viruses (AAV) platform for the treatment of muscular and neurodegenerative disorders.

The company currently has a pipeline of vectorized antibodies, including two in pre-clinical development, targeting muscular and central nervous system diseases with unmet needs. Its vectors and bioprocess technologies aim to help scale  manufacturing processes for flexible production and overcome current challenges in the delivery and manufacturability for advanced gene therapies.

VectorY plans to set up its own multi-product Good Manufacturing Practice manufacturing facilities in Amsterdam later this year.

“Our goal is to support the biotech community in bringing the next generation of therapies to the clinic, faster and more efficiently,” said Andrew Bulpin, head of Process Solutions, Life Science, at Merck. “VectorY’s work could be instrumental in developing potential new treatments for muscular and neurodegenerative diseases.”

 As part of the grant award, VectorY will receive in-kind Merck products and consultation in upstream processing, sterile and virus filtration, and process development support for gene therapy manufacturing. This award will support acceleration of their candidate development and build further upon the upstream activities already initiated with the Emerging Biotech team at Merck.

“Winning Merck’s Advance Biotech Grant is an incredible honour,” said Anthony Newcombe, COO of VectorY. “The support from the Life Science business of Merck will help us expedite our technology programs and further production scale solutions for next-generation gene therapy manufacturing.”