Avigen, Inc Commissions the Automation Partnership's Cellmate Systems for Manufacturing Avigen's Coagulin-B Therapy for Hemophilia B.Business/Technology Editors & Health/Medical Writers CAMBRIDGE, UK and ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--Jan. 28, 2002 The Automation Partnership (TAP) and Avigen Inc. (Nasdaq: AVGN AVGN Angry Video Game Nerd ) have announced that Cellmate cell·mate n. A person with whom one shares a cell, especially in a prison. (TM) is commissioned and fully operational at Avigen's new manufacturing facility in Alameda, California. Avigen is using Cellmate, TAP's proprietary system for automated, industrial-scale cell culture processing, for producing commercial-grade quantities of adeno-associated virus adeno-associated virus a replication-defective, single-stranded DNA virus classifed in the genus Dependovirus of the family Parvoviridae. They depend on help provided by coinfection with adenoviruses for their replication. Not known to cause disease. ("AAV AAV Adeno-Associated Virus AAV Asian-American Village AAV Amphibious Assault Vehicle (US DoD) AAV Association of Avian Veterinarians AAV All Activity Vehicle (Mercedes-Benz) AAV Airborne Assault Vehicle ") vectors. Avigen is using Cellmate to manufacture Coagulin-B(TM), its gene therapy product for hemophilia B hemophilia B n. A clotting disorder of blood resembling hemophilia A, caused by hereditary deficiency of factor IX. Also called Christmas disease. , currently undergoing clinical trials at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is one of the largest and oldest children's hospitals in the world. "CHOP" has been ranked as the best children's hospital in the United States by U.S. News & World Report and Child Magazine in recent years. and Stanford University. Avigen also intends to use Cellmate for potential future products using AAV vector to deliver genes to correct Factor VIII factor VIII n. A factor in the clotting of blood, a deficiency of which is associated with hemophilia A. Also called antihemophilic factor, antihemophilic globulin, antihemophilic globulin A, deficiency associated with hemophilia A and to correct symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. With Cellmate, Avigen can produce large quantities of AAV vectors with greater consistency and uniformity. According to Avigen VP of Operations, Frederick Johnson, "We're pleased with our investment in Cellmate. This sophisticated technology will help Avigen to produce AAV vector with a highly reproducible process in a tightly controlled environment. Producing commercial-grade AAV at a large scale is an important factor in meeting our commitment to being the first company with a gene therapy product for patients with hemophilia." TAP CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Richard Archer concurs, "Cellmate provides Avigen with a distinct advantage in its efforts to produce a gene therapy product for hemophilia B. Using TAP's technology will help Avigen become the first facility capable of producing large quantities of commercial-grade AAV, the key to helping patients with hemophilia." Cellmate is widely used in other manufacturing plants of large pharmaceutical companies for the production of viral vaccines, therapeutic proteins and gene therapy, as well as the production of cells for high throughput screening assays in the drug discovery process. The system eliminates bottlenecks by automating the demanding aseptic aseptic /asep·tic/ (-tik) free from infection or septic material. a·sep·tic adj. Of, relating to, or characterized by asepsis. processes for scaling up the production of cells, hormones and viruses in roller bottles and T-flasks without process changes, thus speeding drug discovery. It is designed to provide consistent and reproducible results, maintaining precise control of media changes, washing and trypsinization steps to optimize yields and ensure consistency between batches. About The Automation Partnership The Automation Partnership is a world leader in the design and development of advanced industrial automation solutions to the life sciences. The company's engineering excellence and applications expertise enables their systems to provide practical solutions to complex problems for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agrochemical agrochemical Any chemical used in agriculture, including chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides. Most are mixtures of two or more chemicals; active ingredients provide the desired effects, and inert ingredients stabilize or preserve the active ingredients or aid and genomic businesses. With a successful track record in automating and integrating processes for cell culture, compound and sample management, liquid handling and ultra high throughput screening, the company continues to develop and implement market driven automation solutions to meet the discovery, development and commercial challenges of the 21st Century. The company's systems are installed at more than twenty leading pharmaceutical companies worldwide including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck, Procter & Gamble, SmithKline Beecham and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals. Originated in 1988, The Automation Partnership is a private company with over 130 staff in Europe and the United States. The company's headquarters and production and development facilities are located in Cambridge, England, with a U.S. office in Wilmington, Delaware. Additional information about The Automation Partnership can be found at www.automationpartnership.com. About Avigen, Inc. Based in the San Francisco Bay area “Bay Area” redirects here. For other uses, see Bay Area (disambiguation). The San Francisco Bay Area, colloquially known as the Bay Area or The Bay , Avigen, Inc., is a biotechnology company involved in the development of gene therapy products derived from AAV for the treatment of inherited and acquired diseases. Avigen's proposed gene therapy products are designed for in vivo administration to achieve the production of therapeutic proteins within the body. Additional information on Avigen's proprietary gene therapies can be found at www.avigen.com. |
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