UK-based Oxford BioMedica has signed a new collaboration and licence agreement with Bioverativ for the development and manufacture of lentiviral vectors to treat haemophilia. The agreement will see an upfront payment of $5m by Bioverativ to Oxford BioMedica, which is also eligible for an additional $100m in different milestone-based payments. Oxford BioMedica will also receive net sales royalties on Bioverativ’s lentiviral vector haemophilia products.

Oxford BioMedica CEO John Dawson said: “Bioverativ’s investment in haemophilia gene therapy underlines the potential of lentiviral vectors for use for in-vivo gene therapy. This new deal, potentially worth in excess of $100m, demonstrates Oxford BioMedica’s strategy of building multiple partnerships with leaders in their therapeutic categories and will support the group’s continued growth.”

The agreement also involves a licence to leverage Oxford BioMedica’s LentiVector Enabled technology, as well as access to the firm’s industrial-scale manufacturing technology. Designed as an advanced lentiviral-based gene delivery system, the LentiVector platform has applications in various therapeutic areas. It can genetically modify dividing and non-dividing cells, and insert genes into non-dividing cells. The platform also acts as a research tool with uses in stem cell manipulation, transgenesis, somatic disease models, target validation and gene discovery.

Bioverativ will sponsor the activities associated with the process development and scale-up of its lentiviral vector haemophilia products at Oxford BioMedica. In addition, the agreement includes an option to negotiate a clinical supply agreement for GMP manufacturing of these products at the company.