Forge Biologics and Labcorp Announce Strategic AAV Gene Therapy Development and Manufacturing Collaboration

• Innovative collaboration advances the development of novel gene therapies for patients by providing coordinated services across Forge’s leading AAV manufacturing capabilities and Labcorp’s scientific and drug development expertise

COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Forge Biologics, a leading manufacturer of genetic medicines, today announced a gene therapy development and manufacturing collaboration with Labcorp (NYSE: LH), a leading global life sciences company.

As a result of this strategic collaboration, gene therapy clients across the industry will gain 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 together, Labcorp and Forge are positioned 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. Through this strategic partnership with Forge, we can make significant progress to help patients access novel, potentially life-saving drugs,” said Dr. Maryland Franklin, Vice President and Enterprise Head of Cell and Gene Therapy at Labcorp. “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.”

Forge’s 20 cGMP suites make it one of the largest global AAV manufacturers. Forge’s leadership team has a combined 200 years of hands-on gene therapy experience, providing the specialized skill sets required to design, develop, build, and run gene therapy manufacturing from early clinical stage through commercial scales. Labcorp is an industry leader in drug development solutions for advanced therapies across a variety of disciplines, including preclinical pharmacology, safety and toxicology, comprehensive clinical trials and commercialization services.

“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.”

About Forge Biologics

Forge Biologics is a hybrid gene therapy contract manufacturing and clinical-stage therapeutics development company. Forge’s mission is to enable access to life changing gene therapies and help bring them from idea to reality. Forge’s 200,000 square foot facility utilizes 20 cGMP suites in Columbus, Ohio, the Hearth, to serve as its headquarters. The Hearth is a custom-designed cGMP facility dedicated to AAV manufacturing and hosts scalable, end-to-end manufacturing services. Offerings include process and analytical development, plasmid DNA manufacturing, viral vector manufacturing, final fill, as well as regulatory consulting support to accelerate gene therapy programs from preclinical through clinical and commercial stage manufacturing. By taking a patients-first approach, Forge aims to accelerate the timelines of these transformative medicines for those who need them the most. To learn more, visit www.forgebiologics.com.