GenoTher will contribute to strengthening France’s European leadership in the development and manufacturing of gene therapies, a domain vital for health sovereignty and one of the most dynamic in biomedical research.
Indeed, currently and globally, 24 gene therapies have been approved by health authorities and 3,000 are under development. By 2025, an estimated 20% of newly approved therapeutic products will be based on gene therapy technologies.
The awarding of the label is a major step in the creation of an unprecedented ecosystem for Europe, aimed at surmounting the scientific, technological and economic challenges inherent to these innovative therapies.
Genother is the brainchild of its founders, all representing the avant-garde of and excellence in gene therapy R&D. Also, the breadth of actors and accomplishments that GenoTher represents illustrates its unique capabilities: 2,000 researchers and clinicians, 10,000 publications, over 2,000 patents, more than 40 licensing agreements, 50 clinical programs and 15 spin-offs in the domain.
The GenoTher biocluster will enable the creation and development of numerous businesses, inspire research and empower industrialization.
GenoTher will aim to attract leading talent and accelerate R&D projects to fulfill its ambition of developing around 10 gene therapies for both rare and frequent diseases. Its creation strongly communicates, to the scientific, medical and industrial communities, France’s place as a leader in the development of innovative therapeutics and its ability to carry out clinical trials in that field.
The biocluster accreditation is also a major advantage, strengthening France’s competitiveness and attractiveness for this innovative medical field moreover crucial for its health independence and economic development.
GenoTher will orient its actions along several axes based on the unique competencies of its founders and members:
- The development of state of the art technological platforms ranging from research to industrial manufacturing
- The development of next generation gene & cell therapy technologies, integrating cutting-edge, in vivo and ex vivo genome editing approaches as well as RNA-based methodologies, to further extend the fields in which these approaches can be deployed.
- Disruptive innovations in biomanufacturing to drastically reduce the production costs of biodrugs and enable affordable and widespread access to them.
- The sharing of clinical excellence via updated databases and the development of innovative tools to carry out clinical trials and in turn accelerate the development of therapeutic solutions.
- Training and the advancement of competencies in research, development, biomanufacturing and entrepreneurship via dedicated curricula.
GenoTher unites seven founders and twelve partners and has strong backing from territorial collectivities, diverse research support organisms and actors in biotechnologies.
Partners: AFM-Telethon, Institute Imagine, Institute of Myology (AIM), University of Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC), Thales, Samabriva, Polytheragene, Toulouse Biotechnloy Institute, Whitelab Genomics, ESPCI (French Grande École for industrial physics and chemistry), CentraleSupélec, IMT Group (professional training institute).
Active support France Biotech, Foundation for Rare Diseases, Genosafe, South Ile-de-France Medical Center, RD-Biotech, GTP Bioways, Evry-Courcouronnes, Grand Paris Sud, Essonne Administrative Department, Ile-de-France Administrative Region, Paris Saclay University, Ipsen, Atamyo, Ampleia, Kurma, AdBio, General Inception.
About Genethon: Created by AFM-Téléthon, Genethon is a nonprofit R&D center dedicated to research in and the clinical validation of gene therapies for rare diseases. Pioneering research at the lab resulted in technologies underlying an initial therapeutic for spinal muscular atrophy now approved by American, European and Japanese marketing authorities. Genethon’s own R&D and that done with partners have led to 13 other products currently in clinical trials and six others likely to enter clinical research phases in the five coming years.
Follow Genethon on Twitter and LinkedIn, and get the latest news in its online Newsroom. www.genethon.fr
About Genopole: Genopole is a French biocluster dedicated to research in genetics and biotechnologies in healthcare and the environment. It unites 62 biotech companies, 17 research laboratories and 25 technological platforms, as well as a range of tertiary-level training programs with the University of Évry-Paris Saclay (Data as of end December 2022).
Genopole’s objectives are to create and support biotech companies and the transfer of technologies to the industrial sector, favor the development of life sciences research, and promote advanced training programs for those domains.
Genopole is funded primarily by the French State, the Île-de-France Administrative Region, the Essonne Administrative Department, the Grand Paris Sud Urban Area, the city of Évry-Courcouronnes and the AFM-Téléthon.
About the AP-HP: The greater Paris public hospital system (AP-HP: Assistance publique–hôpitaux de Paris) is Europe’s largest university hospital center. It comprises 38 hospitals in six learning hospital groups involving five Île-de-France universities (AP-HP. Center – Paris Cité University; AP-HP. Sorbonne University; AP-HP. Nord – Paris Cité University; AP-HP. Paris-Saclay University; AP-HP. Henri Mondor University Hospitals; and AP-HP. Paris Seine-Saint-Denis University Hospitals). Working closely with major research organisms, the AP-HP counts eight internationally renowned institutes (ICM, ICAN, IMAGINE, FOReSIGHT, PROMETHEUS, lnovAND, Re-Connect, THEMA) and maintains France’s largest health data warehouse. The AP-HP is a major actor in applied research and health innovation. It has a portfolio of 650 active patents and its clinicians and researchers sign more than 10,000 scientific publications yearly.
All sponsors considered, the AP-HP has more than 4000 research projects currently under development. In 2020, the AP-HP received the Institut Carnot label in recognition of the quality of its partnered research. Carnot@AP-HP furnishes industrial actors with solutions for applied and clinical research in healthcare. Founded in 2015, the AP-HP Foundation works directly with the hospitals’ teams to support the organization of healthcare provision, the personnel, and research within the system’s many entities. http://www.aphp.fr
About Inserm: Created in 1964, Inserm is a public institution for science and technology operating under the aegis of the French Ministries for Health and for Research. It focuses on research in biology, medicine and human health, with a bench-to-bedside approach to it. Internationally, Inserm is a partner for world-renowned scientific institutions bringing answers and progress to these fields.
About the University of Évry-Paris Saclay: As a part of Paris-Saclay University (16th in the Shanghai Ranking), the actions of the University of Évry-Paris Saclay are guided by two ambitions:
1. empowering its laboratories to carry out world-class science while providing hands-on training to tomorrow’s researchers.
2. deploying academic training to create emancipated, competent young graduates and citizens ready to participate in society and the professional world.
The University of Évry provides academic training in a wide range of fields (excluding health) through to the PhD level and develops vocational training programs in close partnership with socioeconomic actors. It stands out particularly for its cutting-edge research in such fields as genomics and post-genomics, applied mathematics, informatics, information and communications technologies, space sciences and technologies, robotics, and autonomous air and terrestrial vehicles. Also, the university’s social sciences programs, beyond addressing societal issues, also explore economic equilibriums, compare public and private law, and question humankind’s place at work and its relationships with visual media, art and music. www.univ-evry.fr
About Spark Therapeutics: Spark Therapeutics, a fully integrated, commercial company committed to discovering, developing and delivering gene therapies, challenges the inevitability of genetic diseases, including blindness, hemophilia, lysosomal storage disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. A member of the Roche Group, Spark seeks a path to a world where no life is limited by genetic disease. Follow Spark on Twitter and LinkedIn, and for more information, visit www.sparktx.com .
About Yposkesi: Now a part of SK pharmteco, Yposkesi is one of Europe’s largest contract development and manufacturing organizations for the production of viral vectors for gene & cell therapies.
Yposkesi proposes a complete range of GMP services for the manufacturing of lentiviral and adeno-associated virus vectors. It is a trusted partner for biotechs and pharmaceutical companies looking to advance clinical trials and market advanced therapy medicinal products. At its current 5,000 m² industrial site, Yposkesi benefits from several medicinal product production (with bioreactors ranging up to 1,000 liters) and fill & finish suites to respond to the growing demand for advanced-phase clinical projects. In 2024, Yposkesi will expand its pharmaceutical facilities for a total of 10,000 m² of workspace to increase its large-scale production capacities, all in conformity with EMA and FDA requirements. Its investments for innovation ensure that its biomanufacturing platforms provide high-quality gene & cell therapies.
Yposkesi currently counts close to 200 employees and is located at the Genopole Campus in Corbeil-Essonnes, just south of Paris, France.
