Berkeley Lights announces technology collaboration to accelerate and improve gene therapy viral vector development and manufacturing

EMERYVILLE, Calif., July 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Berkeley Lights, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLI) today announced a strategic collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific aimed at addressing challenges in commercial-scale viral vector manufacturing. The partnership, which began in December of 2020, brings together Berkeley Lights’ leadership in functional biology characterization with Thermo Fisher’s expertise in viral vector manufacturing and analytics. Together, the companies are collaborating on a next-generation workflow using the Berkeley Lights Platform to accelerate and improve the development of stable AAV (Adeno-Associated Viral) and LV (Lentiviral) vector producer cell lines.

The industry’s reliance on transient expression for production limits novel cell and gene therapies from reaching more patients because transient transfection suffers from limited output, challenging batch-to-batch reproducibility, high cost, and complex supply chain issues. The workflows under development are designed to deliver stable AAV and LV producer lines on clinically relevant timelines which overcome the limitations of transient expression by providing the yield, consistency, and quality required for large-scale and commercial cGMP viral vector manufacturing to accelerate entry of cell and gene therapy products into the clinic and marketplace, not only for rare diseases but also for more common indications.

“We are very pleased with the scientific progress using Berkeley Lights’ platform, which moves us towards highly scalable, cost-effective processes that leverage Thermo Fisher’s end-to-end solutions for viral vector development and manufacturing,” said Richard Snyder, Vice President, Science and Technology, Pharma Services at Thermo Fisher Scientific.

“By developing a solution that rapidly screens thousands of candidate producer clones, we have the potential to transform how viral vectors are developed and manufactured at industrial scale,” said Troy Lionberger, PhD, VP Technology and Business Development at Berkeley Lights.

This effort builds on the foundation of Thermo Fisher’s viral vector manufacturing and development experience, and the Berkeley Lights Opto^TM Assure Cell Line Development workflow that is focused on identifying clones with high product yield and favorable manufacturability profiles early in cell line development.

About Berkeley Lights
Berkeley Lights is a leading digital cell biology company focused on enabling and accelerating the rapid development and commercialization of biotherapeutics and other cell-based products for our customers. The Berkeley Lights Platform captures deep phenotypic, functional and genotypic information for thousands of single cells in parallel and can also deliver the live biology customers desire in the form of the best cells. Our platform is a fully integrated, end-to-end solution, comprising proprietary consumables, including our OptoSelect™ chips and reagent kits, advanced automation systems, and application software. We developed the Berkeley Lights Platform to provide the most advanced environment for rapid functional characterization of single cells at scale, the goal of which is to establish an industry standard for our customers throughout their cell-based product value chain.

Forward Looking Statement
To the extent that statements contained in this press release are not descriptions of historical facts regarding Berkeley Lights or its products or technology, they are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties that relate to future events, and actual results and product performance could differ significantly from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Berkeley Lights undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties relating to the Company’s ability to transform processes, such as a workflow that rapidly screens thousands of candidate producer clones, and how viral vectors are developed and manufactured at industrial scale, to accelerate entry of cell and gene therapy products into the clinic and marketplace, and to the adoption of the Company’s technology more generally, see the statements in the “Risk Factors” sections, and elsewhere, in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Berkeley Lights’ Beacon^® and Lightning^™ systems and Culture Station^™ instrument are FOR RESEARCH USE ONLY. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

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