Merck KGaA. (7/24/24). "Press Release: Merck Signs MoU with Gene Therapy Research Institution". Tokyo.

	Region	Japan
	Organisation	M Lab Collaboration Center Tokyo (Merck)
	Group	Merck (DE) (Group)
	Organisation 2	Gene Therapy Research Institution Co., Ltd. (GTRI) (JP)
	Product	Sf-RVN® Insect Cell Line platform
	Product 2	gene therapy Parkinson
	Person	Hatano, Isao (Merck (DE) 202212 Head of Process Solutions at Merck Life Science business sector in Japan)
	Person 2	Asai, Katsuhito (Gene Therapy Research Institution 202407 CEO)

> One of first Sf-RVN® Insect Cell Line applications for clinical stage gene therapy production

> Merck to support safe and robust production of viral vectors

> Collaboration aims to bring new therapies to market faster

Merck, a leading science and technology company, has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gene Therapy Research Institution Co., Ltd. (GTRI), a Japanese clinical-stage biotech start-up specializing in gene therapy using adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors. GTRI will utilize Merck’s Sf-RVN® Insect Cell Line platform for the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) production of its viral vector-based gene therapy for Parkinson’s Disease.

“In Japan, clinical trials of gene therapy medicines are underway in the hope of developing new treatments to fight and cure diseases,” said Isao Hatano, Head of Process Solutions, Japan, Life Science business of Merck. “With our broad portfolio of products and services, we can better equip and support GTRI in accelerating process development and manufacturing of viral vector-based gene therapy. We believe this collaboration will ultimately help save many patients suffering from serious diseases.”

As part of the MoU, Merck will partner with GTRI to build a robust AAV production platform to scale up production. The collaboration will also include the use of Merck’s cell line and platform technologies for developing viral vector-based gene therapy.

Additionally, Merck will provide GTRI with technical support, training and process optimization for process development at the M Lab™ Collaboration Center in Tokyo.

“Since 2014, we have been working to bring our unique gene therapy techniques to refractory diseases where effective therapies have not been established, primarily focusing on Parkinson's disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS),” said Katsuhito Asai, CEO, GTRI. “Our biggest challenge is developing robust and safe manufacturing processes for viral vectors used to introduce DNA into patients, especially on a large scale. Producing viral vectors is much more complex and larger in scale than making typical antibody drugs. Our partnership with Merck will optimize this process and help bring therapies to market faster.”

Earlier this year, Merck announced a partnership with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) to advance research aimed at slowing progression of Parkinson’s disease.

For more information, contact Chie Umezawa
+81-3-5434-6493
Email

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About Gene Therapy Research Institute Co., Ltd.

Gene Therapy Research Institution Co., Ltd. (GTRI) is a Japanese clinical-stage biotech start-up specializing in gene therapy using adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors. Established in 2014, GTRI aims to realize the innovative research in practice, in the fastest way from basic research to clinical studies with the goal of popularizing gene therapy. https://www.genetherapy-ri.com/en/

About Merck

Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across life science, healthcare and electronics. Around 63,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2023, Merck generated sales of € 21 billion in 65 countries.

Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck’s technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare, and EMD Electronics in electronics.

Record changed: 2025-03-07