Muscular Dystrophy Association and Forge Biologics Announce AAV Development and Manufacturing Partnership

COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Forge Biologics, a member of Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services and leading manufacturer of genetic medicines, today announced it will be the adeno-associated virus (AAV) development and manufacturing partner for the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s (MDA) Kickstart Program.

MDA is the leading nonprofit focused on accelerating research, advancing care, and advocating for the support of people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases. The MDA Kickstart Program is a new research program developed as a strategy to lower commercial barriers and de-risk development of gene therapies for ultra-rare neuromuscular diseases.

“Collaborating with the MDA embodies our mission at Forge to help deliver potentially life-changing treatments to patients suffering from rare disease,” said John Maslowski, Chief Commercial Officer at Forge Biologics. “We are excited to support the MDA Kickstart Program and help advance these critical projects to the next stage of development.”

Forge will provide process and analytical development manufacturing services, and the partnership will leverage Forge’s platform process, including its proprietary HEK293 suspension Ignition Cells™ and pEMBR™ adenovirus helper plasmid. All development and manufacturing activities will occur at the Hearth, Forge’s 200,000 square foot gene therapy manufacturing facility in Columbus, Ohio.

"Forge has proven to be a trusted partner to gene therapy innovators, advancing many critical programs for rare diseases. We look forward to embarking on this manufacturing partnership, leveraging their deep expertise and robust platform to propel our Kickstart Program's goal of accelerating the delivery of treatments and cures to patients with ultra-rare neuromuscular diseases," said Sharon Hesterlee, Ph.D., Chief Research Officer at the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

About Forge Biologics

Forge Biologics, a member of Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services, is a hybrid gene therapy contract manufacturing and clinical-stage therapeutics development company, enabling access to life-changing gene therapies by bringing them from concept to reality. Forge’s 200,000 square foot facility, the Hearth, is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, and houses 20 custom-designed cGMP suites with 200,000L of manufacturing capacity. Forge’s end-to-end, scalable plasmid and AAV manufacturing services include research-grade manufacturing, process and analytical development, cGMP manufacturing, fill and finish, and integrated regulatory support to help accelerate the timelines of transformative medicines for patients with genetic diseases. To learn more, visit www.forgebiologics.com.