Cell and gene therapy are highly promising, but one major factor continues to daunt drugmakers: It’s tough to scale.
GE Ventures and Mayo Clinic have teamed up to spin out a new software company, called, Vitruvian Networks, that focuses on bringing the “internet of things” to the cell and gene therapy space.
“At scale, the platform will be a network orchestrator for therapeutic companies, with powerful business intelligence and data analytics capabilities,” the companies said in a statement.
The challenge of cell and gene therapy is that it requires highly intricate and time-consuming methodology to personalize treatment products for each individual patient. Vitruvian Networks, drawing support from GE’s tech savvy and Mayo Clinic’s strength in patient accessibility, plans to move these therapies from clinical trials into commercialization in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
Vitruvian Networks will focus first on optimizing the production of autologous cell therapies that target blood cancers.
Led by a hybrid of life science and software development experts, Vitruvian Networks will initially focus on the production of autologous cell therapies that target blood cancers. The new company will also develop the supporting standards, infrastructure and ecosystem that will protect patients and expedite discovery, delivery and regulation in the field.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
“The highly customized nature of cell and gene therapies shows great promise for patient care, but it also introduces logistical challenges making mass-manufacture uniquely complex,” Kieran Murphy, president and CEO of GE Healthcare Life Sciences, said in a statement. “GE’s multi-angle approach to driving the innovation in this industry will help to more quickly and efficiently bring cell and gene therapies to the patients who anxiously await them.”
[Image courtesy of Vitruvian Networks]
